Anomalous absorption of electromagnetic waves by 2D transition metal carbonitride Ti3CNTx (MXene)

Shields up! Specialized conductive materials are used to shield or block electromagnetic radiation such as microwaves or radio waves to either prevent the escape of stray radiation or prevent interference from unwanted sources. Ideal materials should show high effective shielding while requiring a small volume or mass of material. Materials from the MXene family of two-dimensional ceramics, where M is a transition metal and X is either carbon or nitrogen, have shown excellent shielding properties. Iqbal et al. now show even better and somewhat unexpected performance from a metal carbon nitride. Science , this issue p. 446