Recent progress on hybrid fibrous electromagnetic shields: Key protectors of living species against electromagnetic radiation

The digitalization of human life, as a result of the rapid development of telecommunication systems, has skyrocketed electromagnetic (EM) pollution with a deteriorating effect on the function of elec-tronic devices and the health of living creatures. Accordingly, long-term exposure to EM waves disturbs the body's metabolism through irreversible changes, leading to serious cell damage or even cancer. Consequently, protecting vulnerable groups from haz-ardous EM sources has become an essential fundamental matter. This comprehensive review investigated the interactive mechanism of EM waves with biological systems and proposed reliable ap-proaches for safeguarding vulnerable biological systems using various nanostructural designs. Fibrous materials and their various configurations are also introduced as versatile wearable safeguard-ing shields to protect vulnerable entities from incident EM waves. Furthermore, the fibrous materials are presented as promising can-didates for shielding EM waves by absorption mechanisms, thereby mitigating the undesirable secondary reflections, a common short-fall for most EM wave shields.

Automated summary

This comprehensive review examines the interaction mechanism between EM waves and biological systems, and proposes reliable methods for protecting vulnerable biological systems using nanostructural designs. Fibrous materials are introduced as versatile wearable shields to protect vulnerable entities, and are presented as promising candidates for shielding EM waves through absorption mechanisms.