Infrared (IR) rays promote healing, strengthen your immune system, improve cardiovascular health, and help rid your body of toxins. It can also reduce pain and helps you recover faster from exercise.
Infrared shielding can be implemented on a range of materials and technologies, including textiles, clothing and windows. Here we explore the use of polyurethane-antimony tin oxide (PU-ATO) composite fibers for this purpose.
EMI Shielding
EMI shielding is an essential component of the modern world and is often necessary for medical devices that use electromagnetic waves to measure body signals. Whether these devices are used for patient monitoring, MRI systems or hearing aids, they must be protected from EMI that can interfere with the device’s ability to function properly and cause malfunctions.
Several types of materials can be utilized for EMI shielding, depending on their properties. These include conductive, magnetic and thermal insulators.
Electrical conductivity is a key factor in EMI shielding. It allows electricity from a single signal source to flow quickly through the surface without losing too much power along the way.
Magnetic permeability is another important property for this kind of shielding. It prevents the magnetic components of the EMI wave from re-radiating inside the enclosure.
Various materials are available to accomplish this, including wire mesh and screens with discontinuities that are less than the wavelength of the EMI. These can be manufactured using high-resolution processes such as photochemical etching and printing.
IR Shielding
IR Shielding is a very important security feature for many companies as it can prevent unwanted IR signals from entering your building. It also reduces service calls and increases your business’s reputation.
The IR shielding effect can be achieved by using a material that has a high critical temperature (TC) to absorb IR radiation. Examples of this type of material include NbOx and WO3.
We have incorporated an IR shielding film into our domes, which almost eliminates IR reflection resulting in a clear night image even when rain or dust is present on the surface. It’s a simple but effective solution that is sure to save your company money and time.
In this study, we fabricated a PU-ATO composite textile with strong IR- and thermal radiation-shielding properties. We then tested its IR-shielding performance by repeatedly applying high- and low-temperature conditions. Our results indicate that the PU-ATO composite fibers are highly reliable and maintain their IR- and thermal radiation-shielding abilities under these extreme temperatures.
Thermal Shielding
Heat shielding works by absorbing, reflecting, or redirecting heat. It is important in spacecraft applications because it helps prevent heat damage to the occupants and temperature-sensitive equipment.
Metals are often used as a thermal shield because they can absorb heat from the surrounding air, which helps prevent a spacecraft from overheating in the harsh environment of outer space. However, this type of heat shield can be a heavy material to carry around, which is less than ideal for some spacecraft designs.
Infrared (IR) radiation is also a major concern when designing heat shields because it can damage equipment and human bodies. Fortunately, new materials are being developed that can shield IR radiation while retaining their mechanical properties.
Far-Infrared Shielding
Far-Infrared Shielding is a special type of IR shielding that eliminates EMI. It also protects against the harmful effects of EMF.
Infrared radiation is emitted from any object that has a temperature greater than absolute zero, and it can travel through a vacuum. However, it can only propagate through a narrow spectrum of wavelengths. This narrow range of wavelengths is the source of heat that can be measured by a thermal IR camera.
Therefore, IR radiation-shielding materials that can prevent this energy from being transmitted to the surface of the object need to be stable and robust to withstand repeated exposure to high-temperature conditions.
Researchers at the National Institute of Science and Technology have developed a new mesh that can do both. It enables wireless optical communication and efficiently shields electromagnetic interference in the X band portion of the microwave radio region. Their results are published in Optical Materials Express.
