article · Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials
Microwave communication devices are widespread across telecommunications and medical sectors, but their extensive use generates significant electromagnetic pollution that presents risks to human health and the environment. To tackle this electromagnetic interference, microwave-absorbing materials are being developed with broader multifunctional capabilities. Beyond absorbing unwanted radiation, these materials are expanding into cross-disciplinary uses across consumer electronics, healthcare, and defence sectors. Key functional developments include pairing microwave absorption with infrared stealth, resistance to extreme temperatures, anti-icing features, and protective barriers for human tissue. Furthermore, these materials are finding cross-disciplinary roles in medical anti-tumour treatments, chemical synthesis assistance, and energy storage systems. This review outlines how these expanded capabilities provide new pathways for deploying microwave-absorbing materials across diverse industrial and scientific domains.
Proliferating wireless and microwave technologies create pervasive electromagnetic pollution that can disrupt sensitive equipment and harm living organisms. Developing multifunctional absorbing materials helps neutralise this radiation while simultaneously addressing complex engineering challenges, such as thermal resistance and de-icing, and advancing novel medical and energy technologies.
These materials offer potential utility for developers in defence, telecommunications, consumer electronics, and healthcare. Target applications include protective equipment, advanced energy storage devices, and medical anti-tumour systems. As this work is a review of evolving multifunctional materials and prospective cross-disciplinary directions, the technology is largely at an early to intermediate stage of research and application development rather than immediately ready for deployment.
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Abstract Microwave communication technology is widely used in numerous applications, from telecommunications to medical devices. However, the excessive use of microwave devices has led to significant electromagnetic pollution, posing potential risks to both health and the environment. To address this issue, microwave-absorbing materials have emerged and are continuously evolving, offering solutions to mitigate electromagnetic interference. These materials are currently advancing towards multifunctionality, enabling them to serve a range of purposes, and expanding into various fields, including defense, healthcare, and consumer electronics. This review summarizes the multifunctionalization and interdisciplinary applications of microwave-absorbing materials, including their use in infrared stealth, high-temperature resistance, anti-icing, human body protection, and the interdisciplinary linkage of microwave-absorbing materials with anti-tumor, auxiliary chemical synthesis, and energy storage. Finally, we aim for our work to provide directions for exploring the applications of microwave-absorbing materials.
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DOI: 10.1007/s42114-025-01258-5
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