Electromagnetic interference (EMI) represents a growing challenge in the modern era, as electronic systems and wireless technologies become increasingly integrated into daily life. This review provides a comprehensive overview of EMI, beginning with its historical evolution over centuries, from early power transmission systems and industrial machinery to today’s complex environment shaped by IoT, 5G, smart devices, and autonomous technologies. The diverse sources of EMI and their wide-ranging effects are examined, including disruptions in electrical and medical devices, ecological impacts on wildlife, and potential risks to human health. Beyond its technical and societal implications, the economic dimension of EMI is explored, highlighting the rapid expansion of the global shielding materials market and its forecasted growth driven by telecommunications, automotive, aerospace, and healthcare sectors. Preventative strategies against EMI are discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of advanced materials. Carbon-based nanomaterials—such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and carbon foams—are presented as promising solutions owing to their exceptional conductivity, mechanical strength, tunable structure, and environmental sustainability. By uniting perspectives on EMI’s origins, consequences, market dynamics, and mitigation strategies, this work underscores the urgent need for scalable, high-performance, and eco-friendly shielding approaches. Special attention is given to recent advances in carbon-based nanomaterials, which are poised to play a transformative role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and sustainability of future electronic technologies.

In this review, a comprehensive systematic study of the research background, developments, classification, trends, and advances over the past few years in research on new electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials will be described. The following groups of new materials for EMI shielding will be discussed: biochars, scaffolds, rare earth, and ferrite-based materials. We selected two novel, organic, lightweight materials (biochars and scaffolds) and compared their shielding effectiveness to inorganic materials (ferrite and rare earth materials). This article will broadly discuss the EMI shielding performance, the basic principles of EMI shielding, the preparation methods of selected materials, and their application prospects. Biochars are promising, eco-friendly, sustainable, and renewable materials that can be potentially used as a filter in polymer composites for EMI shielding, along with scaffolds. Scaffolds are new-generation, easy-to-manufacture materials with excellent EMI shielding performance. Rare earth (RE) plays an important role in developing high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption materials due to the unique electronic shell configurations and higher ionic radii of RE elements. Ferrite-based materials are often combined with other components to achieve enhanced EMI shielding, mechanical strength, and electrical and thermal conductivity. Finally, the current challenges and future outlook of new EMI shielding materials will be highlighted in the hope of obtaining guidelines for their future development and application.

The quality of plastic gears, especially their durability, is becoming increasingly important due to advances in electric mobility. Therefore, new materials are being developed that must have better mechanical properties, high thermal conductivity for heat dissipation, and tribological properties. The composites of expanded graphite (EG) and glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6/GF) were prepared, and the effect of EG particle size (5μm (EG5) and 1000μm (EG1000)) on these properties was investigated. Composites with different contents (2-10wt) of EG in PA6/GF were prepared using a laboratory twin-screw extruder and then injection moulded in the form of rods and discs required for thermal, thermomechanical, and tribological tests. EG acted as a nucleating agent but hindered the crystallization rate at higher concentrations, which was more pronounced when EG5 was added. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the storage modulus increased with the addition of both types of EG. However, the addition of EG5 increased the storage modulus more than EG1000. The lowest coefficient of friction was obtained by the addition of 10wt EG5. The wear increased with the addition of both types of EG, only slightly with the addition of EG1000. The thermal conductivity of the composites with EG increased from 0.42W/mK to 1W/mK. The results show that the use of EG with smaller particle size is much more beneficial than with a larger one.

The present study explores the comparative influence of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), silver nanowires (AgNWs), and their hybrid rGO–AgNWs on the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of polyaniline (PANI)-based flexible films prepared using a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix. The nanocomposites were synthesized through in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of individual or hybrid fillers, followed by their dispersion in the PCL matrix and casting of the corresponding films. Morphological and structural characterization (SEM, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy) confirmed a uniform PANI coating on both rGO sheets and AgNWs, forming hierarchical 3D conductive networks. Thermal (TGA) and thermomechanical (TMA) analyses revealed enhanced thermal stability and stiffness across all composite systems, driven by strong interfacial interactions and restricted polymer chain mobility. Tmax increased from 437.9 °C for neat PCL to 487.9 °C for PANI/PCL, 480.6 °C for PANI/rGO/PCL, 499.4 °C for PANI/AgNWs/PCL and 495.0 °C for the hybrid PANI/rGO–AgNWs/PCL film. The gradual decrease in contact angle following the order PANI/AgNWs/PCL < PANI/rGO–AgNWs/PCL < PANI/rGO/PCL < PANI/PCL < PCL clearly indicates a systematic increase in surface polarity and surface energy with the incorporation of conductive nanofillers. Electrical conductivity reached 60.8 S cm⁻¹ for PANI/rGO/PCL, gradually decreasing to 27.4 S cm⁻¹ for PANI/AgNWs/PCL and 22.1 S cm⁻¹ for the quaternary hybrid film. The EMI shielding effectiveness (SET) measurements in the X-band (8–12 GHz) demonstrated that the PANI/rGO/PCL film exhibited the highest attenuation (~7.2 dB). In contrast, the incorporation of AgNWs partially disrupted the conductive network, reducing SE to ~5–6 dB. The findings highlight the distinct and synergistic roles of 1D and 2D fillers in modulating the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of biodegradable polymer films, offering a sustainable route toward lightweight, flexible EMI shielding materials.

The remarkable growth of high-frequency electronic systems has raised concerns about electromagnetic interference (EMI), emphasizing the need for lightweight and efficient shielding materials. In this study, ternary composites based on polypyrrole (PPy), graphene oxide (GO), and silver nanowires (AgNWs) were synthesized through chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole monomer and embedded into polycaprolactone (PCL) matrices to create flexible films. Structural and morphological analyses confirmed the successful incorporation of all components, with scanning electron microscopy showing granular PPy, sheet-like GO, and fibrous AgNWs, while spectroscopic studies indicated strong interfacial interactions without damaging the PPy backbone. Thermomechanical analysis revealed that GO increased stiffness and defined the glass transition, whereas AgNWs improved toughness and energy dissipation; their combined use resulted in balanced properties. EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) was tested in the X-band (8–12 GHz). Pure PPy exhibited poor shielding ability, while the addition of GO and AgNWs significantly enhanced performance. The highest EMI SE values were observed in PPy/GO–AgNWs composites, with an average SE of 16.05 dB at 20 wt% of the composite in the PCL matrix, equivalent to about 84.4% attenuation of incident waves. These results demonstrate that the synergistic integration of GO and AgNWs into PPy matrices enables the creation of lightweight, flexible films with advanced EMI shielding properties, showing great potential for next-generation electronic and aerospace applications.