Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications

Jiejun Zhang; Haitao Jiang; Weida Hong; Qing Meng; Zhongying Xue; Miao Zhang; Paul K. Chu; Yongfeng Mei; Ziao Tian; Zengfeng Di

doi:10.1038/s41528-025-00402-x

Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications

Jiejun Zhang (Co-first Author), Haitao Jiang (Co-first Author), Weida Hong, Qing Meng, Zhongying Xue, Miao Zhang, Paul K. Chu, Yongfeng Mei, Ziao Tian^*, Zengfeng Di^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

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Abstract

The advancement of wireless communication raises the demand for flexible, high-performance RF antennas for wearable electronics and flexible communication devices. Traditional approaches focused on reducing the thickness of metal films to enhance flexibility which faces limitations due to the skin effect. Herein, a hybrid graphene-Au nanomembrane is produced by one-step delamination processes to address the limitations of traditional metal films, including flexibility and RF functionality. The graphene-Au nanomembrane features a bond-free van der Waals interface, allowing the Au layer move freely with graphene. This structure mitigates the formation of cracks, enhancing the stretchability to over 14% strain and fatigue resistance. Moreover, this composite overcomes the limitations associated with skin depth, consequently enabling an ultra-thin graphene-Au antenna operating at 8.5 GHz for 5 G communications. We also demonstrate wireless image transmission and electromagnetic stealth. The results underscore the significant impact of the innovative design and materials on flexible wireless technology. © The Author(s) 2025.

Original language	English
Article number	27
Journal	npj Flexible Electronics
Volume	9
Online published	28 Mar 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00402-x
Publication status	Published - 2025

Funding

The work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2022YFB3204800, 2022YFB4400100), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51925208, 62122082, 52350209), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Grant No. 21JC1406100), CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research (Grant No. YSBR-081), Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB0670000), and City University of Hong Kong Donation Research Grants (Grant nos. DON-RMG 9229021 and 9220061). Some of the experiments were carried out at the Fudan Nanofabrication Laboratory.

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This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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title = "Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications",

abstract = "The advancement of wireless communication raises the demand for flexible, high-performance RF antennas for wearable electronics and flexible communication devices. Traditional approaches focused on reducing the thickness of metal films to enhance flexibility which faces limitations due to the skin effect. Herein, a hybrid graphene-Au nanomembrane is produced by one-step delamination processes to address the limitations of traditional metal films, including flexibility and RF functionality. The graphene-Au nanomembrane features a bond-free van der Waals interface, allowing the Au layer move freely with graphene. This structure mitigates the formation of cracks, enhancing the stretchability to over 14% strain and fatigue resistance. Moreover, this composite overcomes the limitations associated with skin depth, consequently enabling an ultra-thin graphene-Au antenna operating at 8.5 GHz for 5 G communications. We also demonstrate wireless image transmission and electromagnetic stealth. The results underscore the significant impact of the innovative design and materials on flexible wireless technology. {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

author = "Jiejun Zhang and Haitao Jiang and Weida Hong and Qing Meng and Zhongying Xue and Miao Zhang and Chu, {Paul K.} and Yongfeng Mei and Ziao Tian and Zengfeng Di",

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doi = "10.1038/s41528-025-00402-x",

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T1 - Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications

AU - Zhang, Jiejun

AU - Jiang, Haitao

AU - Hong, Weida

AU - Meng, Qing

AU - Xue, Zhongying

AU - Zhang, Miao

AU - Chu, Paul K.

AU - Mei, Yongfeng

AU - Tian, Ziao

AU - Di, Zengfeng

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - The advancement of wireless communication raises the demand for flexible, high-performance RF antennas for wearable electronics and flexible communication devices. Traditional approaches focused on reducing the thickness of metal films to enhance flexibility which faces limitations due to the skin effect. Herein, a hybrid graphene-Au nanomembrane is produced by one-step delamination processes to address the limitations of traditional metal films, including flexibility and RF functionality. The graphene-Au nanomembrane features a bond-free van der Waals interface, allowing the Au layer move freely with graphene. This structure mitigates the formation of cracks, enhancing the stretchability to over 14% strain and fatigue resistance. Moreover, this composite overcomes the limitations associated with skin depth, consequently enabling an ultra-thin graphene-Au antenna operating at 8.5 GHz for 5 G communications. We also demonstrate wireless image transmission and electromagnetic stealth. The results underscore the significant impact of the innovative design and materials on flexible wireless technology. © The Author(s) 2025.

AB - The advancement of wireless communication raises the demand for flexible, high-performance RF antennas for wearable electronics and flexible communication devices. Traditional approaches focused on reducing the thickness of metal films to enhance flexibility which faces limitations due to the skin effect. Herein, a hybrid graphene-Au nanomembrane is produced by one-step delamination processes to address the limitations of traditional metal films, including flexibility and RF functionality. The graphene-Au nanomembrane features a bond-free van der Waals interface, allowing the Au layer move freely with graphene. This structure mitigates the formation of cracks, enhancing the stretchability to over 14% strain and fatigue resistance. Moreover, this composite overcomes the limitations associated with skin depth, consequently enabling an ultra-thin graphene-Au antenna operating at 8.5 GHz for 5 G communications. We also demonstrate wireless image transmission and electromagnetic stealth. The results underscore the significant impact of the innovative design and materials on flexible wireless technology. © The Author(s) 2025.

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U2 - 10.1038/s41528-025-00402-x

DO - 10.1038/s41528-025-00402-x

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M1 - 27

ER -

Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications

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DON_RMG: Fabrication, Characterization, and Properties of Functional Materials - RMGS

DON: Surface Modification and Fabrication of Advanced Materials

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Ultra-flexible graphene-metal nanomembrane for wireless applications

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DON_RMG: Fabrication, Characterization, and Properties of Functional Materials - RMGS

DON: Surface Modification and Fabrication of Advanced Materials

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