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Updated: May 21, 2026
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An Additive Manufacturing Technique for the Facile and Rapid Fabrication of Hydrogel-based Micromachines with Magnetically Responsive Components
Published on: July 18, 2018
Water-Triggered Shape-Adaptive Superelastic Hydrogels for Electromagnetic Sealing
Xiaojiang Ge1, Xuan Zhang2, Jianyong Yu2
1State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|May 20, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel shape-memory hydrogel for advanced wave absorption. This intelligent material autonomously fills complex gaps in radar systems, enhancing electromagnetic shielding and preventing signal leakage.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electromagnetics
- Engineering
Background:
- Irregular gaps in active phased array radars (e.g., between transmit/receive modules, substrates, radomes) are key pathways for electromagnetic energy leakage and crosstalk.
- Current wave-absorbing materials lack the adaptability to conformally cover and fill these complex, irregular cavities due to their fixed shapes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a shape-autonomous strategy for wave-absorbing materials.
- To develop a novel wave-absorbing hydrogel with shape-memory properties for conformal coverage in radar systems.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a shape-memory wave-absorbing hydrogel incorporating elastic inorganic fibers and conductive carbon nanotubes.
- Implementation of a reversible 'compress-dehydrate/rehydrate-recover' cycle.
- Utilizing an elastic fibrous framework and dynamic hydrogen bond 'break-reform' mechanism to enhance shape recovery.
Main Results:
- The developed hydrogel (NFHsc) demonstrated full recovery under 80% strain and shape-memory behavior.
- Achieved effective wave absorption with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -45 dB.
- Exhibited an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of up to 7.23 GHz and injectability.
Conclusions:
- The novel intelligent adaptive wave-absorbing hydrogel offers a solution for conformal coverage and filling of complex radar cavities.
- This approach provides a new paradigm for engineering adaptive, multifunctional hydrogels for diverse applications beyond radar systems.
