Tunable microwave absorption driven by electrochemically air-breathing

With the rapid development of information technology, electromagnetic protection and compatibility issues have an indispensable role in daily life, social development and military applications of national defense. However, the current electromagnetic absorption materials are limited in that they can only offer a fixed level of absorption loss, making them challenging to adapt to complex application environments. This study integrates electrochemical devices with conventional multilayer wave-absorbing structures, leveraging multilayer interfacial coupling effects and dynamic impedance matching during device operation to achieve tunable wave-absorption performance. The system demonstrates a maximum modulation efficiency of 15 dB while retaining its regulatory capability after 200 bending cycles. By incorporating zinc-air battery modules into multilayer wave-absorbing materials, this work overcomes the limitations of traditional tunable absorbers that rely on mechanical deformation or thermally induced phase transitions for performance modulation. The proposed design not only simplifies modulation mechanisms but also significantly reduces energy consumption during absorption adjustment and enhances response speed, offering a novel paradigm for tunable wave-absorbing materials.