Since the 21st century, with the rapid development of science and technology, electromagnetic microwave theory has been studied in depth, and more and more electronic product equipment and systems have been developed and applied, and have entered people’s daily lives, but it serves us and enriches our lives. At the same time, electromagnetic radiation is emitted into free space all the time. These useless electromagnetic waves can interfere with the equipment, change the invisible environment, and even cause harm to the human body. With more and more electronic products, electromagnetic interference is becoming more and more serious, so how to eliminate electromagnetic interference is of great significance.
For electromagnetic interference, people tend to use shielding materials to counter electromagnetic interference, such as directly covering the entire circuit board with copper, or adding metal foil to shield individual components. However, this will undoubtedly greatly increase the volume and total weight of the device.
In addition, although most electromagnetic interference shielding materials can protect components by reflecting electromagnetic waves, they cannot solve the problem of electromagnetic pollution propagation in the environment.
Recently, engineers at Drexel University discovered that a two-dimensional material called titanium carbonitride is a good shielding material, thanks to its ability to absorb rather than reflect electromagnetic waves. This is a more sustainable way to deal with electromagnetic pollution than pure reflected waves, because reflected waves can still damage other unshielded equipment.
As early as 2011, Drexel University first prepared a two-dimensional titanium carbide material, and found that this material has many special properties, including high strength, high conductivity and molecular filtering ability. The special feature of titanium carbide is that at the time, it could block and absorb electromagnetic interference more effectively than any known material, including the metal foil used in most electronic devices.
Later, when Drexel University continued to investigate other members of the family, they discovered the more excellent properties of titanium carbonitride, making it a more promising candidate for shielding electromagnetic interference.
They believe that: compared with titanium carbide, titanium carbonitride has a very similar structure, except that one of the carbon atoms is replaced by a nitrogen atom, they are actually the same, but the conductivity of titanium carbide is an order of magnitude worse .
This also means that titanium carbonitride can be used to individually coat components inside equipment to contain their electromagnetic radiation, even if they are placed closely together. Companies like Apple have been trying this containment strategy for several years, but the success rate is limited by the thickness of the copper foil. As device designers strive to make them ubiquitous by making them smaller, less visible, and more integrated, this strategy is likely to become the new standard.
In fact, not only Drexel University researches in this area, but also research institutes such as Beijing University of Technology in China have in-depth research in this area.
With the continuous innovation and development in the fields of electronic products, electronic systems, military countermeasures, etc., the requirements for electromagnetic absorbing materials have become more and more stringent. While satisfying the requirements of “thin, light, wide, and strong”, they must also adapt to more complexities. Changing environment, such as high temperature, acid-base, strong magnetic environment, etc. Titanium carbide and titanium carbonitride will be widely used in the field of high temperature electromagnetic absorbing materials due to their strong oxidation resistance and acid and alkali resistance.