Silver nanowires protect against electromagnetic radiation

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Researchers at KAUST in Saudi Arabia have developed a stretchable, electrically conductive mesh of silver nanowires that could be used to protect against electromagnetic radiation.

According to the team, the flexible and transparent material has a range of potential applications, including use on incubators for newborn babies.

“The idea came to me when I was in the hospital with my son, who was in an incubator,” said Atif Shamim. “I worried about the exposure of the babies to all the electromagnetic radiation in the room.”

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While opaque metals are well known for their electrical conductivity, serving as blocks to electromagnetic radiation, they are generally not transparent or stretchable. “We didn’t want to protect the incubators against the radiation by using metal because then we wouldn’t be able to see the infants,” he said in a statement.

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