Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• • Lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials achieve shielding effectiveness exceeding 20 dB in multiple studies, meeting commercial requirements for consumer electronics, while maintaining low density (<1 g/cm³) and flexibility, enabling integration into wearable and aerospace applications. • • In situ synthesized NiFe2O4 spinel ferrite in wood-based composites (J Alloys Compd, 2025) provides magnetic loss mechanisms, enhancing absorption-dominated shielding with total shielding effectiveness above 30 dB in X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz), as reported in reference 202. • • Conductive wood composites (Chem Mater, 2020) demonstrate high-performance structural EMI shielding with electrical conductivity up to 100 S/m and shielding effectiveness of 40 dB, while retaining mechanical strength suitable for load-bearing applications. • • Asymmetric multilayered MXene-AgNWs/cellulose nanofiber composite films (J Mater Sci Tech, 2022) exhibit shielding effectiveness exceeding 50 dB in X-band, with antibacterial properties and thermal management capability, addressing multifunctional requirements for smart electronics.
Abstract
Lignocellulose-based electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are gaining prominence across multiple sectors, driven by the growing EMI issues associated with rapid advances in communication technologies and electronic devices. These materials have demonstrated significant superiority over traditional EMI shielding solutions, which are often hampered by high cost and environmental concerns. This review emphasizes the excellent potential of lignocellulose as a cost-effective and flexible alternative to deliver the hierarchical structures and functional properties that qualify it for EMI shielding applications. The underlying EMI shielding mechanisms are then elucidated, with a focus on the benefits conferred by lignocellulose in such material systems. Furthermore, typical fabrication strategies for lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials are comprehensively summarized, along with a discussion of their emerging applications in diverse scenarios. Finally, the challenges encountered in developing lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials and their significant prospects for future boosting high-performance design and application are also outlined. The insights presented herein are expected to promote the development of efficient and green lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials that meet the evolving demands of modern society.
1. Introduction
The proliferation of 5G/6G networks, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and aerospace electronics has intensified electromagnetic interference (EMI), degrading signal integrity and threatening operational safety. Traditional shielding materials—metals and carbon fibers—offer high conductivity but suffer from high density, corrosion susceptibility, and non-renewable production, limiting their deployment in lightweight, flexible, and eco-conscious applications. The urgent need for sustainable alternatives has catalyzed research into lignocellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, which combines renewability, low cost, and versatile processability.
Lignocellulose's hierarchical structure and rich functional groups enable tailored design of EMI shielding composites with tunable electrical and magnetic properties. This review systematically addresses the underlying shielding mechanisms, fabrication strategies, and multi-scenario applications, highlighting how lignocellulose-based materials overcome the bottlenecks of conventional shields—achieving high shielding effectiveness while maintaining flexibility, low density, and environmental compatibility. The presented insights aim to accelerate the development of high-performance, green EMI shielding solutions for next-generation electronics.
Loading authentic research manuscript (Pages 1–5)...
Yi-Chao Qiao, Han-Min Wang, Dong-Yang Zhang, Zhong-Wei Han, Kun Liu, Ting Xu, Lin Dai, Chuanling Si (2026). Emerging lignocellulose-based electromagnetic interference shielding materials towards multi-scenario applications. SCIENCE CHINA Materials. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-025-3843-9
Research & Educational Purpose Only: The translations, structured abstracts, analytical annotations, and data reports provided by SinoGreenTechare intended exclusively for academic research, internal corporate R&D, and educational benchmarking. They do not constitute formal engineering, chemical safety, legal, or professional advice.
Copyright & Intellectual Property Notice: Original copyright of the underlying source articles and experimental data remains with the respective authors, institutions, and original publishing journals. SinoGreenTech claims intellectual property only over its proprietary translations, analytical syntheses, and AEO structured enhancements in accordance with international fair use and academic citation principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key mechanisms by which lignocellulose-based materials achieve EMI shielding, and how do they compare to metal-based shields in terms of shielding effectiveness (SE) and weight?
Lignocellulose-based materials primarily rely on absorption-dominated shielding mechanisms, leveraging electrical conductivity from conductive fillers (e.g., MXene, AgNWs) and magnetic losses from ferrite nanoparticles. For instance, wood-based composites with in situ NiFe2O4 achieve SE >30 dB in X-band, while maintaining density below 1 g/cm³, significantly lighter than metals (e.g., copper ~8.9 g/cm³) which typically provide SE via reflection. This absorption dominance reduces secondary EMI pollution.
How do lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials address the scalability and cost challenges compared to carbon fiber or metal-based solutions?
Lignocellulose is abundant and inexpensive, with processing costs lower than carbon fiber production, which requires energy-intensive pyrolysis. For example, conductive wood composites (Chem Mater 2020) achieve SE of 40 dB using scalable delignification and densification processes, offering a cost-effective route for large-area applications. However, achieving uniform dispersion of nanofillers remains a scalability bottleneck, though recent advances in cellulose nanofibril-assisted MXene intercalation (reference 216) improve processability.
What are the failure mechanisms of lignocellulose-based EMI shields under mechanical stress or environmental exposure, and how can they be mitigated?
Lignocellulose is hygroscopic and can degrade under high humidity, leading to dimensional instability and loss of electrical percolation. For instance, MXene-AgNWs/cellulose nanofiber films (J Mater Sci Tech 2022) show antibacterial properties but require hydrophobic coatings to maintain SE under humid conditions. Mechanical flexibility is retained, but repeated bending can cause microcracks in conductive networks; strategies include using asymmetric layered architectures to distribute stress and maintain conductivity.
Can lignocellulose-based EMI shielding materials meet the thermal management requirements of high-power electronics, and what are the measured thermal conductivities?
Yes, some composites integrate thermally conductive fillers. For example, CoFe2O4@MXene-AgNWs/cellulose nanofiber films (ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022) exhibit remarkable thermal management capability, with in-plane thermal conductivity exceeding 5 W/m·K, enabling heat dissipation in flexible electronics. This dual functionality is critical for preventing thermal-induced performance degradation in 5G devices.
What are the specific EMI shielding effectiveness values reported for lignocellulose-based materials in the X-band, and how do they compare to industry standards?
Reported SE values in X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) range from 20 dB (commercial threshold) to over 50 dB for optimized composites. For instance, asymmetric MXene-AgNWs/cellulose nanofiber films achieve >50 dB, suitable for military and aerospace applications. These values are comparable to carbon fiber composites but with added flexibility and lower density, making them attractive for next-generation portable electronics.
Related Chinese Research & Cross-Citations
Ammonium Vanadate Cathodes in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: Design Strategies and Research Progress
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) offer a compelling combination of high safety, environmental compatibility, and abundant zinc resources, positioning them as viable candidates for grid-scale energy storage. Their practical deployment, however, is constrained by cathode materials that suffer from structural degradation, sluggish Zn2+ diffusion, and inadequate electronic conductivity. Ammonium vanadates (AVOs) have emerged as high-performance cathodes owing to their layered or tunneled frameworks, which accommodate reversible Zn2+ (de)intercalation with diffusion coefficients superior to conventional vanadium oxides. This review systematically examines recent advances in AVO cathodes for AZIBs, correlating morphological variations—including nanowires, nanobelts, and microflowers—with electrochemical characteristics. The analysis establishes structure–performance relationships that govern capacity retention, rate capability, and cycling stability. Key optimization strategies are critically assessed: defect engineering to enhance electronic conductivity and active site density, interlayer spacing modulation via pre-intercalated cations or structural water to facilitate Zn2+ transport, and composite construction with conductive carbonaceous or polymeric matrices to mitigate dissolution and improve mechanical integrity. Despite these advances, challenges persist in achieving long-term cycling stability (>10,000 cycles) and high areal mass loading (>10 mg cm-2) required for commercial viability. The review concludes by outlining future research directions, including operando characterization of degradation mechanisms and scalable synthesis routes for AVO cathodes in practical AZIB configurations.
Microenvironment-responsive therapeutic platforms: Innovations for spinal cord injury repair
Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a formidable clinical challenge due to the complex, dynamic lesion microenvironment that impedes axonal regeneration and functional recovery. This highlight examines a microenvironment-responsive therapeutic platform integrating microneedle delivery, ferroptosis modulation, and hydrogen therapy. The platform leverages the pathological hallmarks of SCI—oxidative stress, iron dyshomeostasis, and lipid peroxidation—to achieve spatiotemporally controlled cargo release. By combining microneedle arrays for minimally invasive intraparenchymal administration with hydrogen-releasing biomaterials, the system addresses the dual bottlenecks of poor drug penetration across the blood-spinal cord barrier and insufficient neutralization of reactive oxygen species. Ferroptosis inhibition is achieved through iron chelation and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) stabilization, while hydrogen gas scavenges hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite. This multimodal strategy attenuates secondary injury cascades, reduces glial scar formation, and promotes neural stem cell differentiation. The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82574518) and the Talent Cultivation Project of Paring Academicians with Young Talents in higher education institutions in Zhejiang. The authors declare no conflict of interest. This highlight underscores the translational potential of microenvironment-responsive platforms for SCI repair, emphasizing the need for rigorous preclinical validation and scalable manufacturing.
Dual-Site Adsorption over Phosphorus-Doped Copper Oxide for Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to Ethylene
Electroreduction of CO2 to ethylene offers a promising route for renewable electricity storage, yet achieving high ethylene selectivity at industrial current densities remains challenging due to the large energy barrier for C–C coupling. Here, we report a “MOF-assisted in situ doping” strategy to introduce the oxophilic nonmetal phosphorus (P) into the copper oxide (CuO) lattice, constructing a localized Cu–P dual-site adsorption configuration for the key *OCCHO intermediate. The optimized catalyst delivers an impressive Faradaic efficiency of 64.6% for ethylene with a partial current density of 646 mA cm-2. Comprehensive structural characterizations demonstrate that P mainly occupies Cu sites, generating abundant lattice defects and oxygen vacancies. In situ synchrotron infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that P doping modulates the electronic structure of Cu, optimizes the binding energies of *CO and *CHO, and stabilizes *OCCHO via P–O/Cu–C dual-site adsorption, thereby significantly lowering the asymmetric C-C coupling energy barrier to 0.74 eV. This work highlights a dual-site microenvironment regulation strategy for CO2-to-ethylene electroreduction.
Hydrophilic Single-Atom Interface Unlocks Low-Potential CO Removal on Pt in PEMFCs
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) fed with reformate hydrogen suffer severe anode poisoning by trace CO, necessitating high CO electrooxidation potentials that degrade performance and durability. This work introduces a Pt@CrSA-N-C anode catalyst featuring a hydrophilic Cr single-atom interface that simultaneously weakens CO adsorption on Pt via electronic regulation and promotes water activation, thereby lowering the CO oxidation onset potential to approximately 0.13 V vs. RHE. The onset potential was determined by two independent methods: the first potential at which the background-corrected current exceeds 0 mA cm-2 during CO oxidation reaction tests in a three-electrode system, and the potential at which the forward scan current exceeds the N2 background current in CO-stripping voltammetry. The catalyst achieves a maximum power density under 100 ppm CO that surpasses reported advanced catalysts, as compiled in Table S5. Structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical characterizations collectively establish a coherent rationale for the hydrophilic single-atom interface strategy. This approach addresses the longstanding trade-off between CO tolerance and Pt utilization, offering a viable route for low-potential CO removal in practical PEMFC anodes.
An Ionoelastomer-Based Bioinspired Wearable Electronics with Tele-Perception and Tactile Sensation for Machine Learning-Assisted Rehabilitation Management
Comprehensive assessment of rehabilitation efficiency is essential for designing appropriate training programs for better musculoskeletal functional recovery. Existing contact-receptor-dependent rehabilitation assessment systems mostly focus on assessing the restoration of muscle function by evaluating grip strength or joint flexion angle; however, parameters reflecting neuromuscular synergistic function are always overlooked. Herein, we develop an ionoelastomer-based soft artificial electroreceptor (SAER) that integrates tele-perception and tactile sensation to track the rehabilitation process, collecting signals related to approaching speed and grip strength sequentially. The SAER uses polyurethane ionoelastomer incorporated with quasi-solid conductive salt as the electric field receptor, and is integrated on a rehabilitation-training ball after assembly to establish an untethered detection device; this enables the remote capture of hand approaching parameter within a 9 cm range, followed by the quantification of grip strength when contacting and grasping. Furthermore, a data-driven assessment system is established by integrating machine learning, which accurately classifies rehabilitation efficiency into six levels; it supports for rehabilitation evaluation and training programs adjustment. Overall, the SAER-based rehabilitation management system establishes a paradigm that synergistically evaluating parameters corresponding to neuromuscular functional restoration and holds strong potential for home-based active rehabilitation for minimizing dependence on frequent clinical supervision.
Microwave-Absorbing Materials with Strong Environmental Adaptability for Corrosion Protection, Anti-Icing, and Thermal Management
Microwave-absorbing materials (MAMs) deployed on naval vessels, aerospace vehicles, and critical electronic systems face coupled electromagnetic, marine salt-spray corrosion, and extreme-temperature loads that legacy single-function absorbers cannot withstand. This review consolidates progress on three environmentally adaptive MAM classes: corrosion-protective, anti-icing, and thermal-management absorbers. The electromagnetic loss and impedance-matching fundamentals are first established, then the synergistic mechanisms, design strategies, and characterization protocols for each class are examined against representative material systems and their measured performance. The analysis identifies a shared design logic—multiscale hierarchical architecture, interfacial polarization engineering, and multifunctional phase integration—while distinguishing the divergent protection mechanisms: barrier and passivation effects for corrosion, surface-energy and latent-heat regulation for anti-icing, and phonon–electron transport decoupling for thermal management. Persistent bottlenecks include the trade-off between impedance matching and protective-layer density, the absence of standardized coupled-field test protocols, and the scarcity of long-term salt-spray and thermal-cycling durability data. Future directions are delineated: intelligent self-adaptive absorbers, multiphysics-coupled simulation frameworks, and environmentally benign multifunctional integration. The review provides a theoretical and technical basis for the design, construction, and engineering scale-up of next-generation high-performance absorbers for aerospace, electronic, and marine equipment.