New SEOULTECH Study Reveals Transparent Windows That Shield Buildings from Powerful Electromagnetic Pulses

Scientists introduce a new window technology to protect civilian and military infrastructure from EMP threats.

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs)—high-energy-density and ultra-wideband beams of electromagnetic radiation—are generated from sources such as nuclear explosions, high-power electromagnetic pulse devices, and intentional electromagnetic interference. These pulses can infiltrate electronic equipment to significantly incapacitate civilian and military electrical, electronic, and communications infrastructures and undermine command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

In recent years, scientists have explored EMP-shielded exterior glass windows for buildings and transportation systems to address this new defense challenge. While there have been some promising developments in this regard, including transparent electrodes based on conductive oxides and metal mesh films integrated with saline, no existing transparent glass technology offers broadband EMP protection along with high optical transparency for practical applications.

In a breakthrough, a team of researchers from the Republic of Korea and the USA, led by Professor Chang Won Jung from the Department of Semiconductor Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, has successfully addressed this technological gap. Their novel findings were made available online on November 24, 2025 and have been published in Volume 72 of Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal on December 1, 2025.

In this study, the researchers designed various EMP shielding window configurations with different metal mesh structures: square grid, symmetric hexagonal, asymmetric hexagonal, cross dipole, and double square loop. Among all the designs, they chose and applied the asymmetric hexagonal metal mesh film structure to come up with a transparent glass window that demonstrates enhanced shielding effectiveness compared to conventional designs, while minimizing degradation in visual transparency. In addition, the proposed structure operates as a fully passive system, requiring no external power supply or complex active components, which makes it well suited for practical architectural applications.

"The key contribution of our study is the realization of strong EMP shielding performance over an ultra-wide frequency range while maintaining the form of a transparent glass window. To date, there have been very few reports of transparent window structures that simultaneously satisfy EMP shielding levels exceeding 60 dB for civilian environments and 80 dB for military-grade requirements while preserving optical transparency," remarks Prof. Jung.

The proposed technology can be applied to a wide range of architectural and infrastructure environments that require protection from electromagnetic interference or EMP-related disturbances. Its potential applications include government facilities, data centers, hospitals, airports, and research facilities where sensitive electronic equipment is densely deployed, as well as critical communication and control infrastructures.

"Since the proposed structure can be integrated into transparent window systems, it offers a significantly broader range of architectural applications compared to conventional opaque shielding solutions," says Prof. Jung, highlighting the generalizability of their next-generation technology.

As modern society becomes increasingly dependent on electronic systems and networked infrastructures, protection against invisible electromagnetic threats will become an increasingly important challenge. The technology proposed in this study provides a foundational approach to enhancing electromagnetic safety without compromising building appearance or usability. In the long term, it is expected to contribute to improved reliability and resilience of smart cities, advanced industrial facilities, and national critical infrastructures. 

Reference
Title of original paper: Ultra-wideband EMP-shielded glass windows using metal mesh films for civilian and military infrastructure
Journal: Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal
DOI: 10.1016/j.jestch.2025.102235

About Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH) 
Website: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/

Media Contact:
Eunjung Son
82-2970 - 9166
[email protected]

SOURCE Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)