Investigation of electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of nano silver coated stainless steels

Abstract

This paper presents the shielding effectiveness (SE) of various nanosilver-coated stainless steels (201, 304, 316 and 430), using a coaxial transmission line setup with waveguides and a vector network analyzer (VNA) in accordance with ASTM 4935 standards. The conducted experiments revealed excellent SE outcomes, indicating that the silver-coated stainless steel samples exhibited notably superior SE performance compared to their uncoated counterparts. The importance of SE in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) applications, particularly in minimizing electromagnetic interference (EMI) and safeguarding sensitive electronic devices, is well acknowledged. This study further explored the shielding effectiveness of a novel hybrid material, nano silver (Ag) coated different stainless steels, with a focus on its potential for improved EMI shielding capabilities. Experimental measurements were conducted in the 5G frequency domain.It was found that nanosilver coating increased the SE of stainless steels by between 5 and 12 dB. This enhancement attributed to the incorporation of nanostructured silver particles on the stainless steel surface, which facilitates enhanced reflection of electromagnetic waves, resulting in superior shielding performance. Moreover, this study underlying the mechanisms of SE through various analyses, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In summary, this research has demonstrated that nano silver coating increases the SE value of materials. This result suggests that all other materials can be used to increase the SE value. The results have implications for advancing electromagnetic shielding technologies and promoting the development of robust EMI shielding solutions in various industrial applications where effective shielding is of paramount importance.