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A Meta-Aramid-Based Composite with Strong Abrasion-Resistance Enabled by Sandwich and Brick-Mortar Architectures for Electromagnetic Shielding and Strain Sensing

  • Jiafei Wang 1, 2,   
  • Rongjun Qu 1, *,   
  • Xinyu Li 1,   
  • Fang Ma 3,   
  • Ying Zhang 1,   
  • Jiaru Li 1,   
  • Liangfan Gong 1,   
  • Ying Wang 1,   
  • Changmei Sun 1, *,   
  • Xiquan Song 2, *,   
  • Qianli Ma 2,   
  • Xue Geng 2,   
  • Xiangyu Kong 2,   
  • Ran An 2

Received: 25 Dec 2025 | Revised: 30 Jan 2026 | Accepted: 25 Feb 2026

Abstract

The proliferation of electronic devices has intensified concerns on electromagnetic radiation pollution. Metal-coated polymer fabrics, particularly those possessing electromagnetic shielding and sensing capabilities, encounter significant challenges arising from metal layer degradation during use. Herein, a super-abrasion-resistant composite, PMIA/HPAMAM-EGDE/Ag@TPU (PHEAT), was fabricated using meta-aramid (PMIA) fabric as the substrate, the hyperbranched polyamidoamine (HPAMAM) crosslinked with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) as the surface activator, electroless plated silver (Ag) as the conductive layer, and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film as the protective coating. The obtained PHEAT features an internal brick (PHEA fiber)-mortar (TPU) microstructure and an external TPU-PHEA-TPU sandwich macrostructure. This robust geometric architecture synergistically improves the mechanical strength of PHEA while maintaining the inherent flexibility, lightness, and thinness of PMIA fabric. Remarkably, after 1000 abrasion cycles using 600-grit sandpaper, PHEAT-0.05 (initial total shielding effectiveness, SET = 101.57 dB) and PHEAT-0.1 (SET = 73.94 dB) still retained the high SET values of 52.95 dB and 59.63 dB, respectively, corresponding to 99.999493% and 99.99989% shielding efficiency of incident electromagnetic wave. Furthermore, PHEAT exhibits reliable and repeatable relative resistance change signals during cyclic bending strain and human joint movements, demonstrating significant potential for flexible sensing applications. These findings pave a new way for the development of advanced flexible electronics with integrated functionalities.

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Volume 1, Issue 1
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Wang, J.; Qu, R.; Li, X.; Ma, F.; Zhang, Y.; Li, J.; Gong, L.; Wang, Y.; Sun, C.; Song, X.; Ma, Q.; Geng, X.; Kong, X.; An, R. A Meta-Aramid-Based Composite with Strong Abrasion-Resistance Enabled by Sandwich and Brick-Mortar Architectures for Electromagnetic Shielding and Strain Sensing. Electromagnetic Wave Science and Technology 2026, 1 (1), 1.
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