Metamaterial Structure Research Articles

Grating Bio-Microelectromechanical Platform Architecture for Multiple Biomarker Detection.

A label-free biosensor based on a tunable MEMS metamaterial structure is proposed in this paper. The adopted structure is a one-dimensional array of metamaterial gratings with movable and fixed fingers. The moving unit of the optical detection system is a component of the MEMS structure, driven by the surface stress effect. Thus, these suspended optical nanoribbons can be moved and change the grating pattern by the biological bonds that happened on the modified cantilever surface. Such structural variations lead to significant changes in the optical response of the metamaterial system under illuminating angled light and subsequently shift its resonance wavelength spectrum. As a result, the proposed biosensor shows appropriate analytical characteristics, including the mechanical sensitivity of Sm = 11.55 μm/Nm-1, the optical sensitivity of So = Δλ/Δd = 0.7 translated to So = Δλ/Δσ = 8.08 μm/Nm-1, and the quality factor of Q = 102.7. Also, considering the importance of multi-biomarker detection, a specific design of the proposed topology has been introduced as an array for identifying different biomolecules. Based on the conducted modeling and analyses, the presented device poses the capability of detecting multiple biomarkers of disease at very low concentrations with proper precision in fluidic environments, offering a suitable bio-platform for lab-on-chip structures.

Torsional vibration suppression of cantilever beams system with the PNESI

Considering the intricate design of the conventional inerter structures, the compressive-torsional coupling effects of chiral metamaterial are used to achieve the torsional movement alongside linear movement, forming a simplified inerter mechanism. This simplified design is then integrated with the nonlinear energy sink (NES). In this study, a novel NES with the chiral metamaterial inerter structure is suggested to mitigate vibrations in the cantilever beam system. The introduction includes both the piecewise linear beam, providing nonlinear stiffness, and the chiral metamaterial inerter structure. These components are combined to form the piecewise nonlinear NES with inerter (PNESI) structure. Subsequently, the PNESI structure is integrated with the cantilever beam system, and a corresponding dynamic model is formulated to evaluate its vibration mitigation capabilities. The theoretical results are verified through experiments. The findings indicate that under steady-state vibration conditions, PNESI achieves peak vibration reductions of 88.6% in simulations and 62.7% in experiments for the cantilever beam system.

Long‐Infrared Broadband Polarization‐Sensitive Absorber with Metasurface Based on Ladder Network

AbstractPlasmonic resonant and metamaterial structures allow for manipulating the polarization properties of electromagnetic waves to achieve polarization beam splitting. Broadband polarization‐sensitive metamaterial absorbers based on surface plasmon polaritons have the advantages of high‐energy utilization and excellent stability, which may replace traditional polarizing devices. Here, an absorber based on a ladder network construction is designed theoretically and investigated experimentally. The absorber can possess almost 92% average absorptivity for TM polarization light in 8–12 µm range (experimental result: 83% from 7 to 11 µm). It is especially sensitive to the polarization angle of incident light, and with the increase of polarization angle, the broadband absorption response can present analogously monotonous reduction. The theoretical and experimental results for TE polarization light are 12% and 25%, respectively. The broadband absorption response performs angle insensitive property under oblique incidence. The proposed metamaterial absorber opens a path to realize broadband polarization‐sensitive absorption based on simple nanostructure. It will possess great potential applications in high‐performance polarimetric photodetectors and imaging fields.

Graphene-based metamaterial: Achieving perfect absorption across multiple spectral bands with high sensitivity

In this paper, propose a highly sensitive absorber that utilizes graphene-based patterns to achieve perfect absorption on three different spectral bands. This absorber is designed as a traditional metamaterial structure, optimized to achieve perfect absorption. With the participation of surface plasmon resonance, the absorber achieved absorption rates of 99.14 %, 98.21 %, and 99.32 % at resonance wavelengths of 2933.53 nm, 2956.05 nm, and 3360.45 nm, respectively. Considering factors such as impedance matching and electric field, provide a comprehensive physical explanation for the generation of these absorption peaks. In addition, demonstrated how can modify the wavelength of the absorption peak by adjusting the Fermi energy, and fine tune the absorption rate of a fixed wavelength by manipulating the relaxation time, thereby demonstrating the versatility of our design. In addition, this research explored the complex relationship between the Fermi level and the resonant wavelength and studied the influence of the refractive index of the dielectric layer on the resonant wavelength. It is worth noting that this relationship can be expressed as a strict linear function. As the external refractive index changes, calculated the sensitivity of the absorber, with a peak sensitivity of 768.75 nm/RIU (refractive index unit). This high sensitivity corresponds to a quality factor of 93.31 for the absorption peak. At the same time, our absorber also has good insensitivity to incident angles. In summary, due to its outstanding performance characteristics, this research proposed absorber has broad application prospects in fields such as optoelectronic detection and high sensitivity sensors.

Penyerap Bahan Meta Berbilang Lapisan Padat untuk Aplikasi Frekuensi Satelit Jalur Ka

This work investigates the effects of multi-layered metamaterial design for absorption application at satellite frequency. This is because, the adopted Ka-band frequency is very useful for current technology which can be used in highresolution, close-range targeting radars, military aircraft, space telescopes, commercial, and wireless point-point microwave communication systems. Hence, this work focused on producing a compact design by adopting the optimisation method. Four square-shaped and two circular-shaped metamaterial rings were designed on 0.25 mm substrate material. Furthermore, the properties of the proposed metamaterial were discovered by adopting Computer Simulation Technology. This analytical simulation was performed for a frequency range between 27 and 40 GHz. On the other hand, several design analyses were investigated to gain an optimal metamaterial design structure for the proposed applications. For instance, unit cell selection analysis, reflection coefficient and absorbance analysis of the multi-layer metamaterial. Moreover, the proposed unit cell metamaterial manifests double resonance frequencies for reflection and transmission coefficients approximately at 27.31 GHz, 33.40 GHz and 30.56 GHz, 38.23GHz, respectively. The increment of layers on the proposed unit cell structure revealed unique responses. For example, the double multilayer metamaterial manifests similar dual resonance frequencies as the unit cell design but gains excellent magnitude values of more than -10. Moreover, the absorbance of the three distinct layer metamaterials, likely double, triple and quadruple layers were analysed as well in this work. Overall, the proposed compact metamaterial absorber exhibits unique behaviours for Ka-band satellite frequency applications.

Enlargement of the localized resonant band gap by using multi-layer structures

Multi-layer structures possess highly geometrically tunable optical resonances to change the surface plasmon frequencies in the wide range. A simple analytic model is presented to describe the plasmon hybridization of multi-layer metamaterial structures with multipole resonances. We theoretically demonstrate that the number of plasmon modes increases with the number of layers, which results in the enlargement of the localized resonant optical band gap. To explore the interaction between incident fields and multi-layer structures, we derive the closed-form perturbed field in terms of a generalized polarization matrix, whose dimension matches the number of layers. This enables us to obtain the eigenmode frequencies and their corresponding eigenfunctions for three-dimensional multi-layer concentric spheres and two-dimensional multi-layer concentric cylinders in a vacuum setting. These findings offer nanoscientists a general design principle that can be applied to facilitate the proper selection of the metamaterial parameters, thereby inducing the desired resonance and enabling customized applications to be realized.

Ultra-compact and polarization-insensitive silicon waveguide 3 × 3 star-crossing based on composite subwavelength grating metamaterials.

We present what we believe is the first report on a polarization-insensitive 3 × 3 silicon star-crossing utilizing a composite subwavelength metamaterial waveguide structure. Two different types of subwavelength grating metamaterials (nanohole grating and fan-shaped bent subwavelength grating) are respectively used to address diffraction issues in the crossing region and mode interference issues caused by a compact non-adiabatic design. This approach results in a device with an ultra-compact footprint of 12.68 × 10.98 µm2 on a standard 220 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. Simulation results show low insertion loss (IL) values of <0.2 dB/0.3 dB and suppressed cross talk (CT) levels of <-27.2 dB/-23.6 dB for TE/TM polarizations across a wavelength range of 100 nm (1500-1600 nm). Experimental measurements of the fabricated devices confirm outstanding performance, with IL values of <0.35 dB/0.4 dB and CT levels of <-31.5 dB/-28.6 dB for TE/TM polarization in the C-band.

Numerical Modeling of Hybrid Solar/Thermal Conversion Efficiency Enhanced by Metamaterial Light Scattering for Ultrathin PbS QDs-STPV Cell

Ultrathin cells are gaining popularity due to their lower weight, reduced cost, and enhanced flexibility. However, compared to bulk cells, light absorption in ultrathin cells is generally much lower. This study presents a numerical simulation of a metamaterial light management structure made of ultrathin lead sulfide colloidal quantum dots (PbS CQDs) sandwiched between a top ITO grating and a tungsten backing to develop an efficient hybrid solar/thermophotovoltaic cell (HSTPVC). The optical properties were computed using both the finite integration technique (FIT) and the finite element method (FEM). The absorptance enhancement was attributed to the excitations of magnetic polaritons (MP), surface plasmon polaritons (SPP), and lossy mode resonance (LMR). The HSTPVC with the metamaterial optical light management structure was assessed for short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, and conversion efficiency. The results show a conversion efficiency of 18.02% under AM 1.5 solar illumination and a maximum thermophotovoltaic conversion efficiency of 12.96% at TB = 1600 K. The HSTPVC can operate in a hybrid solar/thermal conversion state when the ITO grating is included by combining the advantages of QDs and metamaterials. This work highlights the potential for developing a new generation of hybrid STPV cells through theoretical modeling and numerical simulations.

A novel metamaterial multiple beam structure with internal local resonance

A novel metamaterial multiple beam structure with internal local resonance

Spatiotemporally nonlocal homogenization method for viscoelastic porous metamaterial structures

The underlying size-dependent mechanism of viscoelastic porous metamaterial structures is still unclear, and the solution to their response using the high-fidelity numerical method is time-consuming, even prohibitive. This paper explores how the size-dependent effect of metamaterial structures emerges from the underlying nonlocal interactions in metamaterial microstructures, and then develops an accurate but efficient homogenization method for analyzing their size-dependent and time-dependent mechanical behaviors of viscoelastic porous metamaterial structures. By accounting for the nonlocal interaction between different representative volume elements and the history-dependent effect, a spatiotemporally nonlocal discrete element model is developed to analyze the mechanical behavior of viscoelastic porous metamaterial structures. With the help of the spatiotemporally nonlocal discrete element model, a spatiotemporally nonlocal homogenization method is proposed to accurately yet efficiently assess the size-dependent mechanical behavior of the porous metamaterial structure. The remarkable potential of the spatiotemporally nonlocal homogenization method is illustrated by simulating the stress relaxation of a viscoelastic porous metamaterial structure under axial strain. Results indicate that the size-dependent phenomenon can be significant, and the spatiotemporally nonlocal homogenization model can efficiently capture the size-dependent relaxation stress evaluated by the high-fidelity finite element model without loss of accuracy.

Analysis of Low-Frequency Bandgap Characteristics of Novel Epoxy-Based Metamaterial Plate Structure

Analysis of Low-Frequency Bandgap Characteristics of Novel Epoxy-Based Metamaterial Plate Structure

Application of Cellulose and Paper-Based Products in Building Acoustics

This article presents a comprehensive acoustic study of paper-based building products: cellulose wool, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, and honeycomb panels. The material configurations included the intact form as well as the various modifications, i.e., density variation, multiple-layered staking, perforation or acoustic metamaterial setup. Tests covered acoustic absorption and insulation properties, with the last examined under excitation of both a plane wave and a diffused field. Additionally, the cellulose wool is provided with the characteristic impedance and propagation wavenumber results; and the paperboard was tested for its dynamic elastic and damping properties. The paper-based products, giving their weight, prove to be a convincing replacement for conventional materials by both absorptive and insulation performance. The maximum acquired sound reduction index, for exceptionally lightweight (2.2 kg/m2) paper double-wall metamaterial structure, reached 26 dB.

Synthesis and characterization of flexible CaCoAlFe2O4 based microwave substrate for triband polarization-insensitive metamaterial absorber

This study investigated CaxCo(0.90-x)Al.01Fe2O4 nanoparticle synthesized using the sol–gel synthesis method to achieve a flexible substrate with a high dielectric constant value. The XRD, FESEM, and dielectric characteristic is analyzed to explore the performance of the suggested Ox Wheels-shaped (OWS) metamaterial absorber unit cell. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found significant peaks at 30° (318), 33° (176), 35° (794), 43° (232), 53° (116), 57° (256), 62° (304), and 74° (126) planes. The dielectric constant values of the prepared nanomaterial materials are 4.52 (X = 90 %), 4.73 (X = 60 %), and 5.07 (X = 30 %) due to the deviations in raw material compositions. The prepared, flexible substrate is used in the anticipated OWS metamaterial absorber unit cell, and analysis has been widely considered and continuously concerned due to their excellent ultra-thin thickness, lightweight, and high absorbance resonance features. The predicted structure reached S21 response at 3.47 GHz, 7.05 GHz, and 10.76 GHz with the magnitude of −24.11 dB, −17.07 dB, and −19.19 dB, respectively, using CST simulation software. The absorber prototype is measured for further investigation within the frequency range of 2.25–2.76, 5.84–6.15 GHz, and 9.63–9.76 GHz, where maximum magnitude is achieved at 2.50 GHz, 6.02 GHz, and 9.70 GHz, respectively. This specific resonance frequency reached the highest 99.61 %, 98.03 %, and 98.79 % absorption, which covers the S, C, and X band frequency spectrum. Various electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and multi-parameter responses are examined to achieve almost perfect absorption (PA). The enormous range of possible uses of metamaterial, such as absorber wave modification, infrared imaging, radiative cooling, energy harvesting, and chemical detection, makes it appreciated. The CaCoAlFe2O4 ferrite-based flexible metamaterial absorber structure has ultra-thin, flexible, and non-corrosive advantages.

Femtosecond laser direct writing wedge metallic microcavities for terahertz sensing

Metallic resonators allow the manipulation of electromagnetic fields in subwavelength volumes for strong light-matter interaction, underpinning emerging flat-optics devices. Metamaterials designed with optimized effective mode volume (Veff) for stimulating and maximizing the utilization of high-density photons are highly desirable for sensing applications. Here, we demonstrate a bowtie-type terahertz (THz) metallic aperture metamaterial structure with low Veff for enhanced biosensing. The device leverages the inherent characteristic of the femtosecond laser fabrication process enabling wedge cavities down to 3 µm by tailoring the pulse energy, whose sensing performance is superior to trapezoidal ones. Such a substrate-free, microcavity metallic metamaterial sensor with extremely strong interactions achieves an experimentally normalized sensitivity of 0.654 RIU−1, and demonstrates the detection of L-proline down to 0.87 nmol. These findings provide new insights into the design and optimization of efficient THz metamaterials with tightly confined fields for ultrasensitive biomolecular detection.

Quadrupole mode plasmon resonance enabled dual-band metamaterial for refractive index sensing application

In this paper, design and fabrication of a dual-band near-zero index metamaterial (MTM) structure using copper on an epoxy resin fiber (FR-4) dielectric substrate is reported for refractive index sensing applications. The primary objective is to achieve dual-band operation spanning a 1–15 GHz frequency range, with a specific focus on achieving a broad bandwidth in the C-band. The resonance of the MTM structure was ascribed to the coupling of plane electromagnetic waves with surface plasmon polaritons on the structure, resulting in a quadrupole plasmon resonance mode. Furthermore, transmission characteristics of the fabricated MTM structure were experimentally measured and found to align closely with the simulated results obtained through the finite element method in COMSOL Multiphysics. The designed MTM structure demonstrates negative and near-zero permittivity at resonance frequencies, enabling left-handed and near-zero index behavior in dual microwave frequency bands. Under room temperature conditions, the MTM sensor exhibited sensitivities of 1 GHz/RIU and 3 GHz/RIU at resonance frequencies of 2.7 and 7.3 GHz, respectively. Consequently, the MTM structure exhibits significant potential for diverse applications, serving as a valuable component in sensors, detectors, and optoelectronic devices operating in the GHz region.

Absorption and Reflection of Switchable Multifunctional Metamaterial Absorber Based on Vanadium Dioxide

A dynamically tunable terahertz broadband absorber based on the metamaterial structure of vanadium dioxide (VO2) is proposed and analyzed. The absorber consists of two patterned VO2 layers and a metal bottom layer separated by two polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric layers. Simulation results show that the absorption exceeds 90% in the frequency range of 2.4–11 THz with a relative bandwidth of 128.4% under normal incidence. When VO2 is in the metal phase, the designed absorber functions as an ideal absorber. The absorption rate can be flexibly adjusted from 2% to 99% as vanadium dioxide transitions from the insulator phase to the metal phase. Therefore, the newly developed broad structure has the capability to seamlessly transition between functioning as an absorber or reflector through modifications in the conductivity of VO2 from the insulator phase to the metal phase. Moreover, further insight into the underlying physical processes can be gained by studying the insensitivity of the proposed absorber to the polarization of incident light and its ability to achieve high absorption across a wide range of incident angles. Impedance matching theory and electric field distribution of the absorber are investigated. The THz absorber has many potential applications in fields such as THz sensors, modulation, and switches.

Vibration suppression of power cabin for underwater vehicle based on mechanical metamaterial flanges

The vibration of underwater vehicles affects their instrumentation and acoustic stealth capabilities. Mechanical metamaterials offer an advanced alternative to conventional vibration control methods. This study develops metamaterial flanges consisting of rectangular star-shaped cells with horizontal ligaments and localized masses. The vibration attenuation performance of metamaterial flanges within the power cabin is validated through simulations and experiments. This research examines the correlation between the bandgaps of large radial span unit cells and the frequencies of vibration attenuation, using the bandgap superposition effect. The findings reveal that the metamaterial cell exhibits exceptional load-bearing capacity and directional bandgaps in the low- to mid-frequency domain. Notably, the vibration attenuation achieved via bandgap superposition reaches 5.1 dB within 823 Hz to 1359 Hz. Specifically, within the range of 1017 Hz to 1146 Hz, the attenuation peaks at an impressive 18.6 dB. The metamaterial structure significantly reduces weight, decreasing the power cabin mass by 36.5%. This research offers new insights and serves as a valuable reference for vibration suppression in small- to medium-sized underwater vehicles.

Combined acoustic metamaterial design based on multi-channel Fano resonance effect

In response to the increasing traffic noise problem, we designed a combined acoustic metamaterial (CAM) based on the multi-channel Fano resonance principle. By utilizing the Fano resonance coupling between the acoustic spiral structure and the hollow structure, efficient sound insulation under effective ventilation conditions is achieved. Simulation results of acoustic transmission loss show that the acoustic transmission loss of CAM is more than 13 dB in the frequency band of 520–989 Hz. The broadband sound insulation characteristic can block the oblique angle incident sound waves from different angles. Simulation results of the elastic strain energy and acoustic pressure field validate the sound insulation mechanism of the Fano resonance of the combined acoustic metamaterial. The experimental results in the impedance tube generally agree with the simulation results. To explore the possibility of wider engineering applications of CAM, we propose a combined CAM and CAM0.7 structure. The results show that a series structure of acoustic metamaterials can be selected to further realize broadband sound insulation within 500–1574 Hz.

Elastostatics within multi-layer metamaterial structures and an algebraic framework for polariton resonances

Multi-layer structures are ubiquitous in constructing metamaterial devices to realise various frontier applications including super-resolution imaging and invisibility cloaking. In this paper, we develop a general mathematical framework for studying elastostatics within multi-layer material structures in Rd, d = 2, 3. The multi-layer structure is formed by concentric balls and each layer is filled by either a regular elastic material or an elastic metamaterial. The number of layers can be arbitrary and the material parameters in each layer may be different from one another. In practice, the multi-layer structure can serve as the building block for various material devices. Considering the impingement of an incident field on the multi-layer structure, we first derive the exact perturbed field in terms of an elastic momentum matrix, whose dimension is the same as the number of layers. By highly intricate and delicate analysis, we derive a comprehensive study of the spectral properties of the elastic momentum matrix. This enables us to establish a handy algebraic framework for studying polariton resonances associated with multi-layer metamaterial structures, which forms the fundamental basis for many metamaterial applications.

A compact acoustic metamaterial based on Helmholtz resonators with side slits for low-frequency sound absorption

The advancement of acoustic metamaterials enables the highly efficient absorption of low-frequency noise with a subwavelength structure thickness, but the complexity of these structures often hinders their large-scale practical applications. Here, we propose a straightforward and compact acoustic metamaterial structure composed of Helmholtz resonators with side slits (HRSS) for low-frequency noise absorption. The introduction of side slits not only simplifies the overall structure but also allows for easy adjustment of acoustic characteristics. By adjusting the depth of the resonator within the slit across 25 distinct units, an absorption coefficient above 0.8 is realized from 470 to 930 Hz. This work demonstrates the extensive low-frequency sound absorption capability of HRSS, providing valuable insights into the design of future practical acoustic materials.