Incident Electromagnetic Wave Research Articles

A dual-band polarization independent dielectric metasurface-based absorber for sensing application in the visible light regime

We present a dual-band, polarization-independent dielectric terahertz absorber exhibiting near-perfect absorption and minimal reflection at frequencies of f 1 = 419 THz and f 2 = 528 THz. Using electromagnetic theory, we modeled the structure to derive the surface electric admittance and magnetic impedance of the metasurface, elucidating the conditions required for perfect absorption in terms of inverse electric and magnetic polarizabilities. The absorber features a tunable symmetrical design, facilitating precise frequency adjustment by modifying structural parameters and ensuring polarization independence for perpendicularly incident electromagnetic waves. This scalable and versatile absorber, constructed from readily available materials, is optimally suited for applications in resource detection, imaging, sensing, and medical diagnostics, attributed to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and high performance.

Asymmetric and mechanically enhanced MOF derived magnetic carbon-MXene/cellulose nanofiber films for electromagnetic interference shielding and electrothermal/photothermal conversion

The prosperity of wearable and microelectronic devices tremendously facilitates to exploit thin and flexible composite films with multifunction. Free-standing MXene films have aroused considerable interest in the fields of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and thermal management because of brilliant electrical conductivity, distinctive layered architecture and remarkable localized surface plasmon resonance effect. Nevertheless, the inferior mechanical strength and potential performance degradation in humid environments seriously constrain their practical applications. In this regard, robust and multifunctional CoNi-MOF-74 derived magnetic carbon/cellulose nanofibers (CNF)-MXene/CNF composite films with Janus architecture were successfully constructed via two-step vacuum-assisted filtration technology. The rational arrangement of functional fillers effectively improves the impedance matching, promoting the incident electromagnetic waves to enter the films for consumption. Constructing double-layered structure could induce the generation of “absorption-reflection-reabsorption” dissipation manner, dramatically enhancing EMI shielding performance. The bi-layered magnetic carbon/CNF-MXene/CNF composite membranes (0.1 mm in thickness) realize a fascinating EMI shielding effectiveness of 68.86 dB and a superior absorption efficiency of 58.82 dB. Meanwhile, the brilliant conductivity and significant localized surface plasmon resonance effect of MXene/CNF layer endow the composite films with excellent electrothermal/photothermal conversion capability, greatly broadening application prospects. The steady temperature of the composite films is as high as 112.9 °C within 10 s under the low driven voltage of 3.0 V and the saturation temperature reaches up to 154.2 °C within 15 s at the light intensity of 1500 W/m2, respectively. Moreover, the plentiful hydrogen bonding interaction and compact interfacial combination jointly enable the composite films to possess robust mechanical flexibility, satisfying the demands in practice. This work supplies a prospective guidance for preparing flexible and multifunctional composite films with Janus architecture, revealing great application potential in wearable and microelectronic devices even under harsh conditions.

Multi-band ultrathin reflective metasurface for linear and circular polarization conversion in Ku, K, and Ka bands

Linear polarization (LP) and circular polarization (CP) holds paramount importance in Ku, K, and Ka bands for satellite based communication, and remote sensing applications. Satellite based remote sensing applications face challenges like atmospheric attenuation, noise & interference, and signal degradation. Moreover, satellite based communication application demands CP in two distinct, non-adjacent frequency bands with orthogonal polarizations at greater oblique angles, considering the unpredictable incidence angles of electromagnetic (EM) waves. Addressing these challenges, an innovative metasurface polarization converter is proposed to operate efficiently across the Ku-band (13.5–18.0 GHz), K-band (18.0–26.5 GHz), and Ka-band (26.5–38.5 GHz) frequency ranges. The converter achieves left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) in the Ku- and Ka-bands within the frequency ranges of 14.57–15.65 GHz and 27.47–33.85 GHz for y-polarized incident EM waves. Additionally, it provides right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) in the K- and Ka-bands at 17.27–23.92 GHz and 35.87–38.32 GHz for y-polarized incident EM waves. The LP conversion ratio exceeds 95% in the frequency bands of 15.97–16.85 GHz, 24.70–26.65 GHz, and 34.37–35.45 GHz for y-polarized, LHCP, and RHCP incident EM waves, respectively. The metasurface exhibits robust performance up to incidence angles of 45 degrees under oblique conditions. Experimental validation using traditional board-circuit manufacturing demonstrates close agreement between measured co- and cross-polarized reflection coefficients and simulations in the 13.5–18 GHz, and 24–38.5 GHz frequency range. Thin metasurface with a thickness of only 0.64 = 0.013λo mm, the proposed design outperforms existing studies in the literature, establishing its competitive edge in terms of structure and performance.

A near-infrared metastructure to realizing polarization conversion and sensing based on the electromagnetic induced reflection

A multifunctional metastructure (MS) working in the near-infrared band is proposed that achieves linear to circular polarization conversion (LTCPC) and electromagnetically induced reflection (EIR). In addition, due to the use of reflected electric fields to overcome the influences of near-infrared band thermal radiation, MS has a good multifunctional sensing detection. The given MS is composed of a four-layer stacked structure. From the substrate to the top layer (along the +z-direction), it consists of silver, a silicon dioxide layer, and two layers of silicon (Si) resonators. Each layer of the Si resonator has four holes created by rotation. By breaking the symmetry of the upper and lower Si layers of MS, the deviation of the rotation angle of the upper and lower holes is introduced, so the MS achieved a near-infrared EIR with an ultrahigh quality factor (Q-factor). Under electromagnetic wave incidence, at 187.89 THz, the Q-factor of MS's reflection peak reaches 2441.25. Due to the unique shapes of the two resonator layers' holes, the axial ratio (AR) is less than 3 dB between 187.844 THz and 187.871 THz, realizing LTCPC. Utilizing the relationship between the optimal polarization conversion frequency point (the frequency corresponding to the lowest AR) and the environmental refractive index, the MS can be used for detecting cancer cells with a sensing sensitivity (S) of 37.24 THz/RIU (36.06 THz/RIU). By introducing the alcohol into the MS, the refractive index of the alcohol to be measured. MS achieved the detection function of the alcohol solution volume fraction, with an S reaching 33.32 THz/RIU, and a figure of merit as high as 154.202. Finally, the related parameters and polarization angle are discussed. The effects of different parameters on EIR and AR also are analyzed. The innovation of this paper lies in the realization of EIR, and a method to improve the Q-factor of near-infrared EIR by rotating the structure is proposed. The combination of a high Q-factor and polarization conversion overcomes the disadvantage that both are difficult to achieve together, and the EIR is easier to detect than the electromagnetically induced transparency. The design also has potential applications in biomedical sensors and industrial production.

Enhancing Defect-Induced Dipole Polarization Strategy of SiC@MoO3 Nanocomposite Towards Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

HighlightsOxygen-vacancy-rich SiC@MoO3 nanocomposite with strong reflection loss (− 50.49 dB at 1.27 mm thickness) and broadband absorption band (8.72 GHz at 2.68 mm thickness) were constructed via in situ etching strategy.The presence of oxygen vacancy leads to an increased conductive loss and defect-induced dipole polarization, which plays significant role in attenuating the incident electromagnetic wave.

A novel oxide ceramic matrix composite with integrated high-temperature EMW absorption and mechanical performance

Oxide ceramic matrix composites (OCMC) are extensively used as thermal structural materials due to good high-temperature resistance, mechanical properties, and oxidation resistance, but they are rarely regarded as electromagnetic wave absorbing materials due to the high resistivity of oxide ceramics/fibers. However, high-performance Al2O3 fiber can be used to design and fabricate OCMC with integrated high-temperature microwave absorbing and mechanical properties by introducing dielectric material into Si-based ceramic matrix. The N610/Si3N4-SiOC composites have the prior mechanical performance because the uniformly distributed Si3N4 matrix made the fiber bear effectively. After that, the Sc2O3 modified SiOC matrix was filled into inter- and intra-fascicular pores forming interfacial polarization, dipole polarization, multiple reflection and scattering to attenuate the incident electromagnetic wave (EMW). The effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) and the minimum reflection coefficient (RCmin) of N610/Si3N4-SiOC(Sc) composites at the thickness of 2.75 mm reach 3.0 GHz and −42 dB in the X band, respectively. In addition, the EMW absorption performance of the composite is relatively stable with EABmax and RCmin of 3.5 GHz and −41 dB in 4–18 GHz at high temperatures. This work provides a strategy for designing and fabricating OCMC with excellent mechanical properties and EMW absorption properties.

Constructing MXene-based mixed-dimensional structure with multiple interfaces to optimize dielectric-magnetic synergistic effect for effective electromagnetic wave absorption

Exploring efficient microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) which could convert electromagnetic (EM) energy into thermal energy represents an approbatory vision to reducing EM radiation and interference. Designing of mixed-dimensional structure with multiple interfaces represents the available target to investigate an ideal MAMs, which maximizes the superiority of mixed-dimensional structure in electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA). Herein, we take full advantage of multiple interfaces engineering of MXene for optimizing the impedance matching to improve EMWA, MXene-based mixed-dimensional structure was designed by incorporating three-dimensional Fe3C@Carbon layers coated zero-dimensional Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) supported two-dimensional MXene nanosheets (MXene/Fe3O4@Fe3C@Carbon, MFC). The Fe3O4@Fe3C@C with Core@shell structure arrests the essentially self-restacked of MXene and provides various attenuation mechanisms for the incident electromagnetic waves (EMWs). By regulating the carbonization temperature, the MFC exhibits enhanced EMWA property which is attributed to the characteristic structure and optimized dielectric-magnetic synergy effect. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of MFC can reach to −64.3 dB with a matching thickness of 1.73 mm. Otherwise, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) (RLmin < -10 dB) reaches 6.42 GHz at only 1.5 mm. Thus, our study refers a novel-fire enlighten to develop excellent mixed-dimensional microwave absorbent based on MXene.

MoSe2 nanosheets implanting on 3D hollow carbon sphere for high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption

Carbon-based electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) materials are extensively studied due to their unique advantages. Nevertheless, impedance matching issues was still constraining their further research. Consequently, we successfully synthesized MoSe2 nanosheets implanting on 3D hollow carbon sphere (HCS@MoSe2) composites with core–shell structure. The complex core–shell structure high-entropy composites provided multiple dissipation mechanisms for efficient dissipation of incident electromagnetic wave energy. The implanting MoSe2 nanosheets optimized the dielectric constant of the composites, thus ensuring optimal impedance matching. The HCS@MoSe2-1 composites exhibit excellent EMA properties and a significant minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −56.19 dB. And HCS@MoSe2-1 had an ultra-wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 7.43 GHz. The significant EMA capability attributed to the synergistic effects of conductive loss, polarization loss, and optimized impedance matching. This work paved a new path for synthesizing transition metal selenide-modified carbon-based composite materials, offering great potential as high-performance materials for EMA applications.

A bidirectional broadband multifunctional terahertz device based on vanadium dioxide

We propose a switchable and bidirectional metamaterial terahertz absorber/reflector based on vanadium dioxide. Simulation results show that the device can achieve broadband absorption and reflection by adjusting the phase state of vanadium dioxide. When the vanadium dioxide is in the insulating phase, the device can be a perfect bidirectional broadband absorber with more than 90% absorptivity under normal forward/backward TE/TM-polarized incident wave in the frequency range from 1.9 THz to 10 THz. This excellent absorption characteristic is insensitive to the polarization angle of the incident wave. When the vanadium dioxide is in the metal phase, the device achieves more than 90% reflectivity in the low-frequency range under forward/backward TE-polarized incident wave. In the high-frequency range, the device has both reflection and absorption effects on the TE-polarized wave. When vanadium dioxide is in two different phase states, the performance of device is not sensitive to the electromagnetic wave incidence angle. The change in vanadium dioxide conductivity does not affect the stable performance of the device at high (low) frequencies when used as an absorber (reflector). The proposed device has potential applications in terahertz energy harvesting, detection, sensing, optical switching, and shielding.

Multichannel information transmission via a dual-frequency point space-time coding metasurface

Space-time coding (STC) digital metasurfaces enable dynamic control of nonlinear harmonics. To achieve efficient frequency tuning and harmonic control, we propose a one-bit column-controlled temporal coding dual-frequency point STC digital metasurface. Using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to control diode switching, the metasurface is encoded to generate multiple target reflected harmonics as independent information transmission channels. The amplitude intensities of these harmonics are defined as independent binary symbols for transmission. The proposed space-time coding digital metasurface can achieve a phase shift of 180° in its unit structure, with reflectivities above 90% at both operating frequencies. We fabricated the designed metasurface and tested its far-field scattering experimentally. When the incident electromagnetic wave frequency is 4.63 GHz, the predicted results are essentially consistent with the experimental findings.

Improvement of directivity in plasmonic nanoantennas based on structured cubic gold nanoparticles

An array of metallic nanoparticles can diffract or concentrate the incident electromagnetic wave and behave as an antenna. In this paper, the effects of the inner sub-wavelength structure of nanoparticles are studied on the directivity of the plasmonic nanoantenna, which is coated on the output of a waveguide. Three 5*5 element configurations are analyzed: nanocubes, nanoshells, and nanoframes array. Numerical results are obtained using the 3D FDTD technique. The results show that structured nanoantennas can improve the antenna's directivity due to the plasmonic properties and hybridization mechanism. Between the three configurations investigated in the 250–800 nm wavelength range, the nanoshell array exhibits maximum and minimum amounts of its directivity at 321.5 nm and 591 nm, respectively. At 558 nm, nanoframes and nanoshells' arrays show the same amount of directivity, and from the wavelength greater than 558 nm, the nanoframe array has the best performance. The results may help design and fabricate directive optical fiber endcaps.

A high-efficiency hybrid microwave power receiving metasurface array with dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient

This paper proposes a hybrid microwave power receiving (MPR) metasurface array with efficient dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient. The hybrid array comprises three components: a reflective phase gradient metasurface (R-PGM) array, a surface wave focusing array, and an energy harvesting port. The R-PGMs efficiently convert incident electromagnetic waves into surface waves. The surface wave focusing array then concentrates the energy onto the integrated harvesting port through dual matching of surface impedance and phase gradient. Connecting a rectifier circuit enables efficient microwave energy reception and RF-DC conversion, avoiding the need for multiple rectifiers or complex feeding networks in traditional MPR designs. Numerical analysis and experimental tests verify the superior performance of this hybrid array design in efficient microwave energy harvesting and RF-DC conversion, achieving 90.84% plane wave-to-surface wave conversion efficiency, 76.67% surface wave energy harvesting efficiency, and 49.28% overall RF-DC conversion efficiency. Across the wideband range of 5.6–6.0 GHz, the energy harvesting efficiency remains consistently high, demonstrating the superior characteristics and promising potential of this design in MPR device development.

Regulating integral alignment of magnetic MXene nanosheets in layered composites to achieve high-effective electromagnetic wave absorption

The integral structure design is equally crucial to the regulation of electromagnetic components in microwave absorbing materials. In this work, magnetic MXene/polyvinylidene fluoride composites with integral nacre-like structure were prepared by successive hot-pressing process to realize the layered arrangement of Ni anchored MXene (Ni@MXene). The order degree of Ni@MXene from random to orientation can be adjusted by gradually changing compression ratio. Interestingly, increasing the orientation degree of Ni@MXene effectively improves the dielectric constant, minimal reflection loss (RLmin) and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of the layered composites. This is attributed to the improved loss ability by increasing the contact areas between Ni@MXene and vertically incident electromagnetic waves, inducing multiple scattering/reflection effect, and the formation of localized conductive pathways. As a result, the layered composite with optimal layered structure delivers the best electromagnetic microwave absorption performance with a RLmin of −69.8 dB and an EAB of 4.77 GHz. Besides, increasing the orientation degree can also optimize the mechanical properties of the layered composites, with the maximum tensile strength and toughness of 32.6 MPa and 115.0 MJ m−3, respectively. Therefore, this work proves the adjustability of absorption performance by changing the distribution of absorbents, and integrates the structure and function for microwave absorption materials.

Design and Development of Metasurface Materials for Enhancing Photodetector Properties.

Recently, metasurface-based photodetectors (metaphotodetectors) have been developed and applied in various fields. Metasurfaces are artificial materials with unique properties that have emerged over the past decade, and photodetectors are powerful tools used to quantify incident electromagnetic wave information by measuring changes in the conductivity of irradiated materials. Through an efficient microstructural design, metasurfaces can effectively regulate numerous characteristics of electromagnetic waves and have demonstrated unique advantages in various fields, including holographic projection, stealth, biological image enhancement, biological sensing, and energy absorption applications. Photodetectors play a crucial role in military and civilian applications; therefore, efficient photodetectors are essential for optical communications, imaging technology, and spectral analysis. Metaphotodetectors have considerably improved sensitivity and noise-equivalent power and miniaturization over conventional photodetectors. This review summarizes the advantages of metaphotodetectors based on five aspects. Furthermore, the applications of metaphotodetectors in various fields including military and civil applications, are systematically discussed. It highlights the potential future applications and developmental trends of metasurfaces in metaphotodetectors, provides systematic guidance for their development, and establishes metasurfaces as a promising technology.

Micro-sized hexapod-like CuS/Cu9S5 hybrid with broadband electromagnetic wave absorption

Reasonable manipulation of component and microstructure is considered as a potential route to realize high-performance microwave absorber. In this paper, micro-sized hexapod-like CuS/Cu9S5 composites were synthesized via a facile approach involving the solvothermal method and subsequent sulfuration treatment. The resultant CuS/Cu9S5 exhibited superb microwave absorbing capacity with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -59.38 dB at 2.7 mm. The maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EABmax) was 7.44 GHz (10.56-18 GHz) when the thickness was reduced to 2.3 mm. The outstanding microwave absorbing ability of CuS/Cu9S5 composites is mainly related to its unique hexapod shape and the formation of heterogeneous interfaces. The unique hexapod shape significantly promotes the multi-reflection of the incident electromagnetic wave (EMW) increasing the attenuation path of EMWs in the material. Heterogeneous interfaces between CuS/Cu9S5 enable powerful interface polarization, contributing to the attenuation of EMWs propagating in the medium. In addition, the EMW absorption performance of CuS/Cu9S5 composites is also inseparable from the conduction loss. This study provides a strong reference for the research of EMW absorbent materials based on transition metal sulfides.

Graphene-based polarization insensitive structure of ultra-wideband terahertz wave absorber

Graphene, a new smart material, has gained a lot of attention recently because of its tunable band structure and strong light-matter interaction. In comparison with typical absorbers, graphene absorbers have emerged as a highly attractive substitute for various types of applications. To broaden the absorption bandwidth, a two-dimensional graphene-based ultra-wideband and polarization-insensitive novel terahertz (THz) absorber with absorption over 95 % from 3.0 THz to 8.5 THz is proposed, with peak absorption of 99.9 % at 6.6 THz and average absorption of 98.4 % for the 5.5 THz bandwidth. The surface plasmon increased by the gold-graphene structure, the Mei resonance, and the interference cancellation between metasurfaces collectively contribute to the ultra-wideband absorption. To obtain nearly perfect broadband terahertz absorption, a single layer of graphene is used. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) approach is used for absorber analysis. In addition, the absorber is insensitive to the polarization angles and incidence angles of incident electromagnetic waves. The proposed graphene-based absorber dominates previously reported wideband THz absorbers in terms of over 95 % bandwidth, absorption peak value, and overall volume. This research will present a novel idea for the design of an ultra-wideband absorber, which can be considered a suitable candidate for different potential applications in terahertz imaging, sensors, photodetectors, and modulators.

EMI-shielding response of GO/Fe3O4/polypyrrole(PPy)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites

In the present study, thermoplastic polyurethane was reinforced with GO/Fe3O4/PPy nanocomposites with varying GO:Fe3O4 ratio to develop high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields. GO/Fe3O4/PPy fillers were prepared by adding polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubes, synthesized by the soft-template method from oxidative polymerization of pyrrole, to graphene oxide decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared by a sonochemical method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy were performed to reveal the structural and morphological properties of GO/Fe3O4/PPy nanofillers, and the structure and thermal properties of the GO/Fe3O4/PPy/TPU nanocomposites was studied by cryofracture SEM and thermogravimetry (TGA). The effect of GO:Fe3O4 ratio on the electrical conductivity, magnetic permeability, permittivity, and electromagnetic-wave-shielding performance of GO/Fe3O4/PPy/TPU nanocomposites was investigated in the X-band frequency range. The maximum EMI efficiency was 4.81 dB with increasing GO:Fe3O4 ratio in GO/Fe3O4/PPy/TPU composites, with blocking of 66.72 % of the incident electromagnetic wave.

Reflective Surface for Linear-to-Linear and Linear-to-Circular Polarization Conversion at Multiple Frequencies

In this paper, a thin multiband reflective polarization converter surface is proposed that can reflect a circularly polarized (CP) wave in the following frequency bands: 7.8-8.10 GHz, 8.32-10.04 GHz, 10.80-13.75 GHz, 14.19-14.53 GHz, 16.22-16.52 GHz, and 16.77-17.18 GHz. It can also convert a linearly polarized (LP) incident electromagnetic wave into its orthogonal LP reflection wave in these bands: 8.14-8.25 GHz, 10.23-10.60 GHz, 13.90-14.08 GHz, and 16.59-16.71 GHz. With slotted semicircles supported by a metallic ground plane, the suggested unit cell of the periodic structure has significant stability in all frequency ranges, even at oblique incidence within a 75° angle limit. Furthermore, the suggested polarizer has an easy-to-manufacture construction that only needs one substrate layer and does not include any via holes. A sample prototype consisting of 30×30 unit cells was fabricated and tested, validating our design and simulations.

Multifunctional and bidirectional tunable terahertz device for polarization conversion and absorption based on black phosphorus

In this work, a multifunctional and bidirectional tunable terahertz (THz) device for polarization conversion and absorption is proposed. The device can modulate both forward and backward incident electromagnetic waves. When x/y-polarized and circularly polarized (CP) waves are backward incident, the polarization conversion rate (PCR) exceeds 90% in the range of 0.69–1.62 THz with a relative bandwidth of 80.5%. The ellipticity reaches 1 at 0.65 THz and 1.64 THz. When u/v-polarized and CP waves are forward incident, PCR exceeds 90% in the frequency range of 1.71–3.07 THz with a relative bandwidth of 56.9%. The absolute ellipticity values reach 1 at 0.86 THz, 1.1 THz, and 1.63 THz. When the forward incident wave is x-polarized, the device exhibits absorption rates of 98.9% at 0.96 THz and 97.7% at 1.67 THz. Meanwhile, linear dichroism reaches 0.75 at 0.96 THz. Importantly, all functions can be turned on or off by the carrier density of black phosphorus. The proposed device has potential applications in detection, sensors, imaging, and multifunctional terahertz systems.

Tunable terahertz polarization conversion and absorption devices based on metamaterials

Metamaterials, as novel materials, have electromagnetic behaviors that can be realized by rationally designing the unit structure. It plays an important role in the research of terahertz functional devices. Switchable terahertz devices are constructed by flexibly combining the excellent properties of graphene and vanadium dioxide (VO2) with the application potential of terahertz technology. When the VO2 is in the metallic state and the graphene Fermi energy level is 0 eV, the device behaves as a broadband polarization switching device. It can realize cross-polarization conversion for the incident electromagnetic wave in the range of 2–4.2 THz. When the VO2 is in the insulating state and the graphene Fermi energy level is 0.9 eV, the device is an absorption device. The absorption rate can reach more than 99% at 4 THz. In addition, the polarization conversion ratio (PCR) as well as the absorption rate of the device can be tuned independently. This actively tunable switchable terahertz device provides ideas for dynamically controlling terahertz, bringing more possibilities for various applications such as terahertz imaging, stealth, and communication.