Home > Press > Flexible Metamaterial Absorbers
Abstract:
A research team in Korea has created flexible metamaterial absorbers designed to suppress electromagnetic radiation from mobile electronics.
Electromagnetic metamaterials boast special properties not found in nature and are rapidly emerging as a hot research topic for reasons extending far beyond "invisibility cloaks."
One other use for metamaterials is as "absorbers" of electromagnetic radiation. In the journal Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, a research team in Korea reports creating a flexible metamaterial absorber, based on tiny "snake-shaped" unit cells, with the ability to suppress electromagnetic radiation from mobile electronics and other electronic devices.
A negative index of refraction is one metamaterial "superpower" that enables applications such as a super lenses, cloaks, absorbers, and countless others, to operate at frequencies ranging from radio to visible.
By tapping into a negative index of refraction, metamaterial absorbers can be created that are both smaller in size and thickness than conventional absorbers. "The unit size of typical metamaterial absorbers, however, is still only 1/3 to 1/5 of the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave," explained YoungPak Lee, a physics professor at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea.
The team's first attempt at designing a metamaterial absorber for long-wavelength MHz electromagnetic waves didn't turn out as planned-- the unit size actually increased, which limited its applications in suppressing the radiation from mobile devices and other electric equipment.
This turned out to be a good thing because as they addressed this problem, Lee and colleagues ended up discovering a way to create a flexible metamaterial absorber. Metamaterials are a type of resonator, with a resonance frequency that can be explained by its inductance and capacitance. So the team chose "snake-shaped" structures to enhance its inductance and shrink the unit size.
"In this case, think of the length of the 'snake bar' as the inductance. When we increase the length of the snake bar, the frequency of the resonance peak shifts to a lower frequency (longer wavelength) -- keeping the unit size small," Lee said. "By using a Teflon substrate as the dielectric layer, we can make it thin and elastic enough to be suitable as a flexible metamaterial."
As part of their research, the team specially designed two types of absorbers at 2 GHz and 400 MHz, focusing on keeping the unit size small and flexible, because most telecommunication devices -- including mobile phones -- operate within the 400 MHz to 2 GHz range. "Absorbers for GHz and MHz ranges can be used to suppress electromagnetic noise from everyday electronics," Lee noted.
Most surprising aspect of their work? Since the unit size of typical metamaterial absorbers is 1/3 to 1/5 of the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave, you'd expect the unit size to increase in the long-wavelength range. "Yet, our research showed that the unit size using the snake-shaped structure is nearly 1/12 at 2 GHz (single snake bar) and 1/30 at 400 MHz (5 snake bars) -- making it entirely suitable for real applications."
The next step for the researchers will be to try to create an even lower-frequency metamaterial absorber, with a range below 400 MHz, while also maintaining a small size and flexibility. "We're also exploring wideband and thinner metamaterial absorbers within the MHz range," Lee said.
####
About American Institute of Physics (AIP)
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership corporation created for the purpose of promoting the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics and its application to human welfare. It is the mission of the Institute to serve the sciences of physics and astronomy by serving its member societies, by serving individual scientists, and by serving students and the general public.
As a "society of societies," AIP supports ten Member Societies and provides a spectrum of services and programs devoted to advancing the science and profession of physics. A pioneer in digital publishing, AIP is also one of the world's largest publishers of physics journals and produces the publications of more than 25 scientific and engineering societies through its New York-based publishing division.
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Jason Bardi
001-301-209-3091
+1 240-535-4954
Copyright © AlphaGalileo
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Physics
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
'Sudden death' of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity: Study challenges the conventional wisdom of superconducting quantum transitions January 12th, 2024
Wireless/telecommunications/RF/Antennas/Microwaves
HKUST researchers develop new integration technique for efficient coupling of III-V and silicon February 16th, 2024
Discoveries
Chemical reactions can scramble quantum information as well as black holes April 5th, 2024
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors April 5th, 2024
Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
Focused ion beam technology: A single tool for a wide range of applications January 12th, 2024
Announcements
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
Premium Products | ||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||