Stretchable Broadband Absorbers Based on the Hauberk Structure

Abstract

One of the major challenges in the design of flexible microwave absorbers is to achieve flexibility, particularly the stretchability of the overall structure while ensuring broadband absorption. In general, the comprehensive properties of flexible dielectric materials are good enough, whereas those of flexible conductive materials are relatively poor. Materials with both good conductivity and stretchability are rarely reported. In this letter, a stretchable absorber was designed with the conductive material made into the hauberk structure, utilizing the relative movement of the rings of the hauberk to realize the stretchability. At the same time, this structure can achieve extra-broad-band absorption at large incident angles. Approximately 80% absorption under vertically incident TE and TM waves was measured in (10–40) GHz, showing good agreement with the simulation results. When the overall structure was stretched uniaxially by 10%, experiment results showed that the absorption decreased slightly but was still broadband, which agreed well with the simulation results. What is more, the structure maintained broadband absorption under 0°, 45°, and 75° incident angles.