A radar-infrared compatible stealth metamaterial with bird's nest morphology

Abstract

The rapid development of detection technology, the technology with radar infrared compatible stealth function has become one of the important ways to improve the survivability of weapons and equipment. However, the two stealth mechanisms of radar stealth and infrared stealth are mutually exclusive. In this work, a multilayer radar-infrared compatible stealth metamaterial is presented based on SiO2 fiber reinforced aerogels skeleton (SFRAS). The prepared samples with bird 's nest microstructure showed good compressive strength (1.73–2.52 MPa) and low density (0.22–0.27 g/cm3), achieving lightweight. Moreover, the metamaterial exhibits excellent electromagnetic absorption performance, effective absorbing broadband (13 GHz), and ultra-wideband absorption of electromagnetic waves is achieved. Nanoporous structure and low thermal conductivity (0.03426–0.05011 W/ (m K)) successfully reduce the surface thermal radiation, indicating that it is a potential material for achieving infrared stealth. The new technology provides a new approach to the research of the radar-infrared compatible stealth structure.