Abstract
The electronic passivation of small-form-factor devices requires a fundamental change in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, transitioning from bulky metal cans to conformal thin films1,2,3,4. However, reducing the thickness induces poor shielding performance associated with the skin depth of shielding materials5,6. To overcome the performance limitations of thin-film shields, absorption during multiple internal reflections should be driven7. For absorption during multiple internal reflections, pores have been intentionally introduced into shielding materials such as metals8,9,10,11,12 and two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbides/nitrides (MXenes)13,14,15,16,17,18,19. However, these approaches involve insufficient thinness, non-uniformity and/or processing incompatibility. Here we propose embedding non-porous MXene film into metal thin films to achieve unprecedented shielding performance at a thickness of just 1 μm (about 70 decibels; about 80 decibels at 1.9-μm thickness) without the limitations associated with porous structures. This exceptional performance in simple-stacked metal/MXene/metal structures, which deviates from the typical thickness dependency, arises from the formation of electromagnetic wave confinement walls at the interfaces, driven by the conductivity mismatch between the metal and MXene. The confined electromagnetic waves within the MXene ‘well’ are effectively attenuated through polarization loss, primarily driven by dipoles at the metal–MXene interfaces. Our embedded-MXene-in-metal shields provide conformal EMI protection for portable USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 flash drives and flexible Schottky diodes. Our embedded-MXene-in-metal shields may open new avenues in packaging technologies, enabling EMI-free ubiquitous electronics.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are included in the paper and Supplementary Information, and are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.
References
Joo, K. et al. High performance package-level EMI shielding of Ag epoxy composites with spray method for high frequency FCBGA package application. In Proc. 2018 IEEE 20th Electronics Packaging Technology Conference (EPTC) 674–680 (IEEE, 2018).
Erickson, S. & Sakaguchi, M. Application of package-level high-performance EMI shield material with a novel nozzleless spray coating technology. In Proc. 2020 IEEE 70th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) 1691–1696 (IEEE, 2020).
Zwenger, C. Enabling the 5G RF front-end module evolution with the DSMBGA package. Chip Scale Rev. 25, 26–33 (2021).
Zhang, X., Zhang, B. & Sun, R. Effective conformal EMI shielding coating for SiP modules with multi-shaped nano-Ag fillers. In Proc. 2022 23rd International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology (ICEPT) 1–4 (IEEE, 2022).
Chung, D. D. L. Materials for electromagnetic interference shielding. J. Mater. Eng. Perform. 9, 350–354 (2000).
Peng, M. & Qin, F. Clarification of basic concepts for electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness. J. Appl. Phys. 130, 225108 (2021).
Isari, A. A., Ghaffarkhah, A., Hashemi, S. A., Wuttke, S. & Arjmand, M. Structural design for EMI shielding: from underlying mechanisms to common pitfalls. Adv. Mater. 36, 2310683 (2024).
Ji, K., Zhao, H., Zhang, J., Chen, J. & Dai, Z. Fabrication and electromagnetic interference shielding performance of open-cell foam of a Cu–Ni alloy integrated with CNTs. Appl. Surf. Sci. 311, 351–356 (2014).
Lee, S. H. et al. Density-tunable lightweight polymer composites with dual-functional ability of efficient EMI shielding and heat dissipation. Nanoscale 9, 13432–13440 (2017).
Wu, S. et al. Robust and stable Cu nanowire@graphene core–shell aerogels for ultraeffective electromagnetic interference shielding. Small 14, 1800634 (2018).
Zeng, Z. et al. Flexible and ultrathin waterproof cellular membranes based on high-conjunction metal-wrapped polymer nanofibers for electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Mater. 32, 1908496 (2020).
Choi, H. K. et al. Hierarchical porous film with layer-by-layer assembly of 2D copper nanosheets for ultimate electromagnetic interference shielding. ACS Nano 15, 829–839 (2021).
Liu, J. et al. Hydrophobic, flexible, and lightweight MXene foams for high-performance electromagnetic-interference shielding. Adv. Mater. 29, 1702367 (2017).
Zhou, Z. et al. Ultrathin MXene/calcium alginate aerogel film for high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 6, 1802040 (2019).
Han, M. et al. Anisotropic MXene aerogels with a mechanically tunable ratio of electromagnetic wave reflection to absorption. Adv. Opt. Mater. 7, 1900267 (2019).
Iqbal, A. et al. Anomalous absorption of electromagnetic waves by 2D transition metal carbonitride Ti3CNTx (MXene). Science 369, 446–450 (2020).
Cheng, Y. et al. Hierarchically porous polyimide/Ti3C2Tx film with stable electromagnetic interference shielding after resisting harsh conditions. Sci. Adv. 7, eabj1663 (2021).
Zhang, Y. et al. Strong and conductive reduced graphene oxide-MXene porous films for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding. Nano Res. 15, 4916–4924 (2022).
Zhang, Y., Ruan, K., Zhou, K. & Gu, J. Controlled distributed Ti3C2Tx hollow microspheres on thermally conductive polyimide composite films for excellent electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Mater. 35, 2211642 (2023).
Jiang, Y. et al. Wireless, closed-loop, smart bandage with integrated sensors and stimulators for advanced wound care and accelerated healing. Nat. Biotechnol. 41, 652–662 (2023).
Yoo, J.-Y. et al. Wireless broadband acousto-mechanical sensing system for continuous physiological monitoring. Nat. Med. 29, 3137–3148 (2023).
Sakuma, K. et al. CMOS-compatible wearable sensors fabricated using controlled spalling. IEEE Sens. J. 19, 7868–7874 (2019).
Gebrael, T. et al. High-efficiency cooling via the monolithic integration of copper on electronic devices. Nat. Electron. 5, 394–402 (2022).
Salvatore, G. A. et al. Wafer-scale design of lightweight and transparent electronics that wraps around hairs. Nat. Commun. 5, 2982 (2014).
Das Sharma, D. & Mahajan, R. V. Advanced packaging of chiplets for future computing needs. Nat. Electron. 7, 425–427 (2024).
Schmitz, J. Low temperature thin films for next-generation microelectronics (invited). Surf. Coat. Technol. 343, 83–88 (2018).
Yun, T. et al. Electromagnetic shielding of monolayer MXene assemblies. Adv. Mater. 32, 1906769 (2020).
Simon, R. M. EMI shielding through conductive plastics. Polym. Plast. Technol. Eng. 17, 1–10 (1981).
Das, N. C. et al. Single-walled carbon nanotube/poly(methyl methacrylate) composites for electromagnetic interference shielding. Polym. Eng. Sci. 49, 1627–1634 (2009).
Han, M. et al. Beyond Ti3C2Tx: MXenes for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding. ACS Nano 14, 5008–5016 (2020).
Xing, Y. et al. Multilayer ultrathin MXene@AgNW@MoS2 composite film for high-efficiency electromagnetic shielding. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15, 5787–5797 (2023).
Iqbal, A., Sambyal, P. & Koo, C. M. 2D MXenes for electromagnetic shielding: a review. Adv. Funct. Mater. 30, 2000883 (2020).
Song, W.-L. et al. Facile fabrication of ultrathin graphene papers for effective electromagnetic shielding. J Mater Chem C Mater 2, 5057–5064 (2014).
Song, P. et al. Frequency-adjustable electromagnetic interference shielding performance of sandwich-structured conductive polymer composites by selective foaming and tunable filler dispersion. Compos. Commun. 34, 101264 (2022).
Calister, W. D. Jr & Rethwisch, D. G. Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 10th edn (Wiley, 2018).
Liu, J. & Nicolosi, V. Electrically insulating electromagnetic interference shielding materials: a perspective. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35, 2407439 (2025).
Shahzad, F. et al. Electromagnetic interference shielding with 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes). Science 353, 1137–1140 (2016).
Fei, Y. et al. Recent progress in TiO2-based microwave absorption materials. Nanoscale 15, 12193–12211 (2023).
Wang, J. et al. Heterojunction engineering and ideal factor optimization toward efficient MINP perovskite solar cells. Adv. Energy Mater. 11, 2102724 (2021).
Hong, J. et al. Electromagnetic shielding of optically-transparent and electrically-insulating ionic solutions. Chem. Eng. J. 438, 135564 (2022).
Liu, J., Yu, M.-Y., Yu, Z.-Z. & Nicolosi, V. Design and advanced manufacturing of electromagnetic interference shielding materials. Mater. Today 66, 245–272 (2023).
Yeon, H.-W. et al. Cu diffusion-driven dynamic modulation of the electrical properties of amorphous oxide semiconductors. Adv. Funct. Mater. 27, 1700336 (2017).
Kaloyeros, A. E. & Eisenbraun, E. Ultrathin diffusion barriers/liners for gigascale copper metallization. Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 30, 363–385 (2000).
Zaed, M. A. et al. Cost analysis of MXene for low-cost production, and pinpointing of its economic footprint. Open Ceram. 17, 100526 (2024).
Alhabeb, M. et al. Guidelines for synthesis and processing of two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx MXene). Chem. Mater. 29, 7633–7644 (2017).
Guisbiers, G. & José-Yacaman, M. in Enclyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry: Surface Science and Electrochemistry (ed. Wandelt, K.) 875–885 (Elsevier, 2018).
Tokuda, K., Ogino, T., Kotera, M. & Nishino, T. Simple method for lowering poly(methyl methacrylate) surface energy with fluorination. Polym. J. 47, 66–70 (2015).
Yeon, H. et al. Long-term reliable physical health monitoring by sweat pore–inspired perforated electronic skins. Sci. Adv. 7, eabg8459 (2021).
Davuluri, P. & Chen, C. Radio frequency interference due to USB3 connector radiation. In Proc. 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility 632–635 (IEEE, 2013).
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (no. RS-2024-00423772) and by the ‘regional innovation mega project’ programme through the Korea Innovation Foundation funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (project no. 2023-DD-UP-0015).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
H.Y. conceived this work, and H.Y. and Y.-C.J. supervised the team. G. Kang and G. Kwon. fabricated most of the EMI shields. G. Kang, G. Kwon, J.K., M.-K.K., J.H. and A.S.L. evaluated the shielding performance. J.J., S.L., B.L., M.L., Y.K., C.K. and D.-A.K. supported shield fabrication. G. Kang performed X-ray analysis and sample preparation for microstructural analysis. G. Kwon and H.P. assessed the thickness uniformity of MXene films. I.J. and C.K. contributed to material characterizations. J.J. performed electrical characterization of the EMI shields and fabricated flexible ZnO Schottky diodes. J.J., B.L., I.J. and Y.K. assessed the environmental stability of EXIM shields. J.J., S.L. and S.C. conducted mechanical deformability tests. G. Kang conducted the EMI shielding test on USB 3.0 flash drives. J.J., B.L., H.Y. and G. Kwon evaluated EMI shielding of the Schottky diodes. J.K. performed TMM simulations. H.Y., G. Kwon, G. Kang and J.J. benchmarked EXIM performance against state-of-the-art EMI shields. H.Y. prepared the paper with the support of G. Kang, G. Kwon, J.J. and J.K. All authors commented on the analysis and discussion of the results.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature thanks Faxiang Qin, Ming Wang and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Extended data figures and tables
Extended Data Fig. 1 Cross-sectional images of a 1-μm-thick EXIM shield with six Cu–MXene heterointerfaces.
a, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image after focused ion beam milling (FIB) of the sample. b, Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) images. c, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images.
Extended Data Fig. 2 Shielding performance of single-material shields.
a, An electrically insulating handling layer (composed of Parylene C, PDMS, and PET) exhibits an SE of <1 dB, negligible for the shielding performance of thin-film-type shields in this study. b, Electrical conductivity (σshield) of single-material shields (thickness: 0.2 μm). c, Slope of the average \({{\rm{SE}}}_{{\rm{total}}}-{t}_{{\rm{shield}}}\) plots for Ti3C2Tx MXene, TiOx, Cu, Au, and Ag. d-h, SE curves of single-material shields under X-band conditions as a function of film thickness. Cu (d), Ti3C2Tx (e), Au (f), Ag (g), and TiOx (h). Average SE values of Au, Ag, and TiOx are also displayed on the right side of each respective panel, whereas those for Cu and Ti3C2Tx are shown in Fig. 2a of the main manuscript. Error bars in b,c,f-h are s.d. from 2–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 3 Plausible EMI shielding mechanisms in multilayered films.
a, Reference case of a non-porous, homogeneous, and conductive Cu film. Surface reflection, internal absorption, and multiple reflections occur when the film thickness is less than the skin depth (i.e., electrically thin). Note that multiple reflections can reduce shielding effectiveness due to an increase in transmitted wave power. b-d, Cases of electrically thin, multilayered films. EXIM shield: Cu/MXene/Cu sandwich structure (b), top-MXene/bottom-Cu bilayer (c), and top-Cu/bottom-MXene bilayer (d). The electrical conductivities of Cu and MXene films were set to the experimentally measured values in this work.
Extended Data Fig. 4 Multilayered shields composed of Al2O3 and Cu.
a, Shielding characteristics of bilayer and sandwich structures. For comparison, single-layer Al2O3 and Cu films were also evaluated. b-d, Al2O3-based vertical capacitors. Cross-sectional schematic and plain-view photographic image of the devices (b). Voltage ramping test conducted to confirm the insulating properties of the Al2O3 film. (c). Dielectric constant of the Al2O3 film, determined from capacitance-voltage characteristics measured at 1 MHz (d). e, Effect of stacking configuration on average SE values. f, Plausible EMI shielding mechanisms of the sandwich and bilayer structures. Error bars in e are s.d. from 3–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 5 Electrical configurations of EXIM shields.
a,b, Schematic illustrations depicting MXene films as capacitive-element-incorporated conductors (CEIC). Equivalent circuit model of MXene films composed of stacked MXene flakes featuring van der Waals (vdW) gaps (a). Surface dipoles on the basal planes of MXene flakes impart capacitive properties to the films, while electron tunneling occur across the vdW gaps (b). c, Electrical configuration of metal–MXene heterostructures represented as a schematic and equivalent circuit consisting of resistive elements (metal films, MXene flakes, tunneling junctions) and capacitive elements (interface and surface dipoles). d, Analytical modeling used to calculate the ideal effective conductivity of EXIM structures. e, Comparison between experimentally measured conductivity values of EXIM shields and theoretical values calculated under ideal and worst-case scenarios. Error bars in e are s.d. from 3–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 6 Shielding characteristics of sandwich-structured films.
a,b, SE curves under X-band conditions. EXIM shields with varying (i) MXene thicknesses and (ii) wall metals (a), and Cu/(TiOx or Au)/Cu sandwich-structured shields (b). Note that SE curves of 200-nm-thick single-material shields of Pt and TaOx are included for reference. SE curves for other single-material shields are provided in Extended Data Fig. 2. c,d, Effects of an additional layer at the top Cu–MXene interface in EXIM shields. Changes in SE curves (c) and variations in average total SE, SEA, and SER depending on the additional interfacial layer (APTES or Al2O3) (d). Error bars in d are s.d. from 2–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 7 Multiple heterostacking of Ag-wall-based EXIM shields.
a,b, Evolution of shielding performance with increasing the numbers of Ag–Ti3C2Tx MXene heterointerfaces. SE curves under X-band conditions (a) and average SEtotal, SEA, and SER (b). c, Performance comparison of Cu-wall-based EXIM and Ag-wall-based EXIM shields. Error bars in b,c are s.d. from 3–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 8 Environmental stability test under high-humidity conditions.
a, Degradation of Cu-based EXIM films after annealing at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity (RH) for 12 h. Without the Cr-Al capping layer, severe oxidation occurs, as evidenced by visible discoloration and a highly resistive film surface, which disables reliable resistivity measurement using the four-point probe method. In contrast, the Cr-Al capping layer effectively suppresses oxidation under high-humidity conditions. b, Resistance mapping of films with and without the Cr-Al capping layer. A 5 × 5 two-terminal resistor array was fabricated using the same shadow mask (thickness: 200 μm) employed in Supplementary Figs. 5d and 16. Photographic images of the samples were also obtained after the experiment. The resistance mapping clearly visualizes the impact of high humidity on the stability of EXIM shields. While Cr-Al capping layer substantially enhances stability, non-negligible resistance degradation is still observed over time under high-humidity exposure. Notably, the degradation is more pronounced at the edges, suggesting lateral oxidation from unprotected side regions.
Extended Data Fig. 9 Applications of 1-μm-thick MXene shields.
a, Comparison of shielding performance between 1-μm-thick MXene and EXIM shields under X-band and far-field conditions. b-d, Shielding of the IC chip in a USB 3.0 flash drive. Photographic images show that a 1-μm-thick MXene shield conformably covers the IC chip (b). The impact of the MXene shield on the integrity of Bluetooth signals (c). Performance comparison between MXene and EXIM shields against EM noise generated by USB flash drives (d). Supplementary Video 1 contains the original sounds from the Bluetooth speaker. e, Shielding of flexible Schottky diodes. A 1-μm-thick MXene shield is seamlessly laminated onto the flexible electronics due to its thin-thickness-driven high conformability. Error bars in a are s.d. from 3–5 samples.
Extended Data Fig. 10 Direct formation of EXIM shields.
a, Schematic illustration and corresponding photographic images of the direct formation process. EXIM shields were seamlessly formed on PI substrates (thickness: 125 μm) and flexible ZnO Schottky diode samples. b, Shielding effectiveness of directly formed EXIM shields on a PI substrate. The shield configuration is Cu/Ti3C2Tx/Cu (100/200/100 nm) with a Cr-Al capping layer (10-10 nm). The shielding characteristics are nearly identical to those of lamination-based shields, including comparable average SE values and dynamic fluctuations in SE– frequency curves. c, Schottky diodes covered with directly formed EXIM shields. After shield formation, forward-biased conductance remains nearly unchanged; however, an increase in reverse-biased conductance is observed, which was not present in lamination-based shield formation. This suggests that the direct formation process may introduce relatively severe thermomechanical stress into the devices, resulting in degradation of the rectification ratio. d, EM noise detection test conducted under the same experimental conditions as in Fig. 4e–i and Supplementary Fig. 19e,f. The 0.4-μm-thick, directly formed EXIM shield effectively suppresses EM noise incident on the diode. Error bars in b are s.d. from 2–5 samples.
Supplementary information
Supplementary Information (download PDF )
This file contains Supplementary Notes 1–11, Supplementary Figs. 1–19, Supplementary Table 1 and Supplementary References.
Supplementary Video 1 (download MP4 )
Shielding of USB 3.0 Flash drives using Al foil, EXIM shields and MXene shields. Due to the non-conformal wrapping of the 16-μm-thick Al foil, EM noise is emitted from the flash drives, resulting in malfunctions of a Bluetooth speaker. In contrast, 1-μm-thick conformal EXIM and MXene shields effectively suppress EM noise, enabling stable Bluetooth operation.
Supplementary Video 2 (download MP4 )
Shielding of flexible ZnO Schottky diodes. A wireless charging puck induces EM noise, resulting in peak current generation in the Schottky diodes. With conformal coverage using 1-μm-thick conformal EXIM and MXene shields, the magnitude of the peak current is substantially reduced in both cases. Notably, EXIM shields demonstrate superior shielding performance compared to MXene shields, highlighting their potential for EMI-sensitive high-end electronic applications.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kang, G., Kwon, G., Jeon, J. et al. Electromagnetic interference shielding using metal and MXene thin films. Nature 647, 356–363 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09699-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Version of record:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09699-0
This article is cited by
-
Ultrathin and flexible electromagnetic interference shielding films by interface-confinement strategy
Science China Materials (2025)
