Electrospinning Machine | Melanin-like nanofibers with highly ordered structures achieve ultrahigh specific electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency

Challenge: Lightweight, high-performance electromagnetic shielding materials rely on precisely designed electromagnetic response structures. Traditional shielding materials typically involve manufacturing of complex conjugated composites or graphitized organic materials, facing challenges in balancing their performance and processability. Therefore, finding and designing intrinsic conjugated materials with superior processing properties is crucial. 

Method: Professor Li Yiwen's team at Sichuan University utilized a 5,6-dihydroxyindole cyclic tetramer framework to construct highly ordered melanin-like nanofibers by regulating π-π stacking, innovatively designing polymers with highly ordered microstructures. 

Innovation 1: The resulting melanin-like aerogel exhibits astonishing microwave absorption performance, with a maximum reflection loss of -68.87 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.25 GHz. 

Innovation 2: In the X-band, the aerogel's electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency reaches 47909.9 dB cm²/g. This work successfully extends melanin-like polymers to the microwave spectrum for the first time, demonstrating great potential in electromagnetic fields. 

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62367-9