3D printed wideband wearable absorber for EMI shielding applications

This work presents the synthesis, fabrication and comprehensive characterization of a conformal wide-band electromagnetic absorber designed for full Ku (12–18 GHz) and K (18–27 GHz) band coverage, aimed at mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI) in a wide range of applications. The absorber comprises a unit cell of 16×16mm2. Fabrication is accomplished via additive manufacturing using polylactic acid (PLA), a thermoplastic polymer with favorable dielectric properties in microwave regimes. This 3D printing approach offers geometric flexibility, rapid prototyping, and scalability, without strict constraints on absorber thickness, making it ideal for conformal and irregular surfaces. A calibrated air spacer is embedded to enhance spectral performance, resulting in absorption rates exceeding 90% at 10.1 to 27.6 GHz, corresponding to a bandwidth expansion of 17.5 GHz. The absorber's symmetrical geometry ensures polarization insensitivity, while parametric sweeps confirm robust performance under angular and frequency detuning. Experimental validation using vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements demonstrates strong agreement with simulation results, affirming the absorber's reliability. These attributes support its deployment in biomedical shielding, stealth technology, and multifunctional EMI suppression across diverse platforms.