Recent progress in electromagnetic wave absorption building materials

The application of electromagnetic (EM) absorbing building materials is the most effective method to control EM radiation pollution in building space, and the study of EM absorbing building materials has aroused lots of attention in recent years. In this article, the EM absorbing building materials are divided into two categories, namely, the absorbents filling type and the structural design type. And this review provides a brief but systematic introduction to the design approach, EM absorption properties and mechanisms of these two types of EM absorbing building materials, hoping to motivate further study of EM absorbing building materials. •Effects of different kinds of absorbents on EM absorbing properties of building materials are summarized.•Influence of structural design on the EM absorbing properties of building materials is investigated.•New ideas for the developing high performance EM absorbing building materials is proposed.