Intelligent materials for on‐demand electromagnetic absorption

Abstract The 21st century is marked by the emergence of “information warfare” and the proliferation of “intelligent machines”, driving the advancement of intelligent absorbing materials (IAMs). These materials with dynamic and tunable electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) performance overcome the limitations of conventional static absorbers, which have fixed EMWA performance. The IAMs represent a leading strategy for achieving adaptive stealth and superior control over the EM spectrum in contemporary warfare. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in IAMs that respond to external stimulus strategies such as temperature, voltage, mechanical deformation, lumped element, and multi‐field coordination. These stimuli facilitate real‐time modulation of EM parameters, enabling on‐demand multiscopic EM energy attenuation through conductive loss, polarization loss, multiple reflections and scatterings, resonance effects, and optimized impedance matching, thereby achieving dynamically adjustable EMWA. Moreover, external fields can modulate the equivalent circuit parameters (capacitance, inductance, and resistance) in metamaterials, thereby controlling EM coupling mechanisms—including resonance strength and modes—and introducing additional pathways for attenuation. By integrating autonomous control and environmental perception, stimuli‐responsive IAMs have shifted the paradigm from a static “structure–property” relationship to a dynamic “stimulus‐state‐property” framework, where “state” refers to multi‐scale structures and compositions. Furthermore, this evolution also represents a transition from “single functions” toward “system integration”, paving the way for next‐generation intelligent stealth platforms. image