New Trends in Metamaterials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 13857

Special Issue Editors

DTU Nanolab, National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: microrobots; microswimmers; metamaterials; microfabrication; two-photon polymerization
DTU Fotonik—Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: metamaterials; plasmonics; photonic crystals; slow light
DTU Nanolab, National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsted Plads, Building 347, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: micro- and nanofabrication; fabrication of polymer micro- and nanostructures; anti-reflecting surfaces; plasmonic metasurfaces; microfluidics; surface wetting properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metamaterials are materials engineered to have, e.g., optical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical, or chemical properties beyond their naturally occurring counterparts. The properties of metamaterials are, thus, not only derived from the properties of the base materials they are composed of, but also, in particular, from their micro- and nanofabricated structures. In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions concerned with any aspect of the fabrication, characterisation, and applications of metamaterials of any kind. Examples are electromagnetic metasurfaces with tailored electromagnetic responses, such as broadband absorbers, metalenses, chiral structures, nanophotonic and plasmonic devices, all-dielectric metasurfaces, hyperbolic metamaterials, mechanical metamaterials with anomalous mechanical behaviors such as a negative Poisson's ratio, and negative thermal expansion. Contributions on smart nano- and micromaterials that obtain their properties from their structure, e.g., photonic crystals and near-zero-index waveguides, are also welcome.

Dr. Ada-Ioana Bunea
Prof. Dr. Andrei Lavrinenko
Prof. Dr. Rafael Taboryski
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • all-dielectric metasurfaces
  • hyperbolic metamaterials
  • metalenses
  • plasmonics
  • photonic crystals
  • near-zero-index waveguides
  • bound states-in-the-continuum
  • mechanical metamaterials
  • nanofabrication

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 11165 KiB  
Article
Dual-Band, Wide-Angle, and High-Capture Efficiency Metasurface for Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting
by Abdulrahman Ahmed Ghaleb Amer, Nurmiza Othman, Syarfa Zahirah Sapuan, Arokiaswami Alphones, Mohd Fahrul Hassan, Ahmed Jamal Abdullah Al-Gburi and Zahriladha Zakaria
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(13), 2015; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13132015 - 06 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1285
Abstract
A dual-band metasurface (MS) with a wide reception angle operating at Wi-Fi bands (2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz) is presented for electromagnetic (EM) energy harvesting applications. The MS unit cell comprises a subwavelength circular split ring resonator printed on the low-loss substrate. An [...] Read more.
A dual-band metasurface (MS) with a wide reception angle operating at Wi-Fi bands (2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz) is presented for electromagnetic (EM) energy harvesting applications. The MS unit cell comprises a subwavelength circular split ring resonator printed on the low-loss substrate. An air layer is sandwiched between two low-loss substrates to enhance the harvesting efficiency at operating frequencies. One of the main advantages of the proposed MS is that it uses only one harvesting port (via) to channel the captured power to the optimized load (50 Ω), which simplifies the design of a combined power network. According to the results of full-wave EM simulations, the proposed MS has a near-unity efficiency of 97% and 94% at 2.4 GHz and 5.4 GHz, respectively, for capturing the power of incident EM waves with normal incidence. Furthermore, the proposed MS harvester achieves good performance at up to 60° oblique incidence. To validate simulations, the MS harvester with 5 × 5-unit cells is fabricated and tested, and its EM properties are measured, showing good agreement with the simulation results. Because of its high efficiency, the proposed MS harvester is suitable for use in various microwave applications, such as energy harvesting and wireless power transfer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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12 pages, 2559 KiB  
Article
Directional Scattering Switching from an All-Dielectric Phase Change Metasurface
by Gonzalo Santos, Maria Losurdo, Fernando Moreno and Yael Gutiérrez
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(3), 496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano13030496 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1912
Abstract
All-dielectric metasurfaces are a blooming field with a wide range of new applications spanning from enhanced imaging to structural color, holography, planar sensors, and directionality scattering. These devices are nanopatterned structures of sub-wavelength dimensions whose optical behavior (absorption, reflection, and transmission) is determined [...] Read more.
All-dielectric metasurfaces are a blooming field with a wide range of new applications spanning from enhanced imaging to structural color, holography, planar sensors, and directionality scattering. These devices are nanopatterned structures of sub-wavelength dimensions whose optical behavior (absorption, reflection, and transmission) is determined by the dielectric composition, dimensions, and environment. However, the functionality of these metasurfaces is fixed at the fabrication step by the geometry and optical properties of the dielectric materials, limiting their potential as active reconfigurable devices. Herein, a reconfigurable all-dielectric metasurface based on two high refractive index (HRI) materials like silicon (Si) and the phase-change chalcogenide antimony triselenide (Sb2Se3) for the control of scattered light is proposed. It consists of a 2D array of Si–Sb2Se3–Si sandwich disks embedded in a SiO2 matrix. The tunability of the device is provided through the amorphous-to-crystalline transition of Sb2Se3. We demonstrate that in the Sb2Se3 amorphous state, all the light can be transmitted, as it is verified using the zero-backward condition, while in the crystalline phase most of the light is reflected due to a resonance whose origin is the contribution of the electric (ED) and magnetic (MD) dipoles and the anapole (AP) of the nanodisks. By this configuration, a contrast in transmission (ΔT) of 0.81 at a wavelength of 980 nm by governing the phase of Sb2Se3 can be achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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15 pages, 40217 KiB  
Article
Equivalent Circuit-Assisted Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization for Accelerated Reverse Design of Multi-Layer Frequency Selective Surface
by Yaxi Pan, Jian Dong and Meng Wang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3846; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12213846 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2058
Abstract
In this paper, a fast reverse design method of multi-layer frequency selective surface (FSS) based on the equivalent circuit (EC)-assisted multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is proposed. Converting the desired frequency response requirements into an EC and then determining structural parameters via [...] Read more.
In this paper, a fast reverse design method of multi-layer frequency selective surface (FSS) based on the equivalent circuit (EC)-assisted multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is proposed. Converting the desired frequency response requirements into an EC and then determining structural parameters via building blocks’ EC and MOPSO simplifies the inverse design process of the FSS. The layer-by-layer building blocks of EC are used instead when dealing with the problem of complicated EC computation associated with multi-layer FSS. By converting factors that are difficult to calculate, such as interlayer coupling, into an MOPSO seeking process, the computational complexity is reduced while the design accuracy can be improved. To begin with, it is necessary to determine the distribution of zeros and poles according to the design goals in order to calculate the appropriate EC. Then, the preliminary design of the FSS has been completed in accordance with the EC and the associated building block structure. Finally, the objective function of the optimization algorithm is determined according to the desired frequency response, and the FSS structure parameters are optimized. Taking dual band-stop FSS and triple band-pass FSS structures as examples, the transmission coefficient results obtained by the proposed reverse design method are consistent with the transmission coefficient results based on the ECs, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. The optimized triple band-pass FSS demonstrates strong stability even at oblique incident angles of up to 45° in both TE and TM polarizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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11 pages, 2852 KiB  
Article
Resilient Mechanical Metamaterial Based on Cellulose Nanopaper with Kirigami Structure
by Tadaoki Fujita, Daisuke Nakagawa, Kazuma Komiya, Shingo Ohira and Itsuo Hanasaki
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(14), 2431; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12142431 - 15 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1712
Abstract
Nanopapers fabricated from cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are flexible for bending while they are rather stiff against stretching, which is a common feature shared by conventional paper-based materials in contrast with typical elastomers. Cellulose nanopapers have therefore been expected to be adopted in flexible [...] Read more.
Nanopapers fabricated from cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are flexible for bending while they are rather stiff against stretching, which is a common feature shared by conventional paper-based materials in contrast with typical elastomers. Cellulose nanopapers have therefore been expected to be adopted in flexible device applications, but their lack of stretching flexibility can be a bottleneck for specific situations. The high stretching flexibility of nanopapers can effectively be realized by the implementation of Kirigami structures, but there has never been discussion on the mechanical resilience where stretching is not a single event. In this study, we experimentally revealed the mechanical resilience of nanopapers implemented with Kirigami structures for stretching flexibility by iterative tensile tests with large strains. Although the residual strains are found to increase with larger maximum strains and a larger number of stretching cycles, the high mechanical resilience was also confirmed, as expected for moderate maximum strains. Furthermore, we also showed that the round edges of cut patterns instead of bare sharp ones significantly improve the mechanical resilience for harsh stretching conditions. Thus, the design principle of relaxing the stress focusing is not only important in circumventing fractures but also in realizing mechanical resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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10 pages, 1889 KiB  
Article
Pedestal High-Contrast Gratings for Biosensing
by Leonid Yu. Beliaev, Peter Groth Stounbjerg, Giovanni Finco, Ada-Ioana Bunea, Radu Malureanu, Lars René Lindvold, Osamu Takayama, Peter E. Andersen and Andrei V. Lavrinenko
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(10), 1748; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12101748 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
High-contrast gratings (HCG) are an excellent candidate for label-free detection of various kinds of biomarkers because they exhibit sharp and sensitive optical resonances. In this work, we experimentally show the performance of pedestal HCG (PHCG), which is significantly enhanced in comparison with that [...] Read more.
High-contrast gratings (HCG) are an excellent candidate for label-free detection of various kinds of biomarkers because they exhibit sharp and sensitive optical resonances. In this work, we experimentally show the performance of pedestal HCG (PHCG), which is significantly enhanced in comparison with that of conventional HCG. PCHGs were found to provide a 11.2% improvement in bulk refractive index sensitivity, from 482 nm/RIU for the conventional design to 536 nm/RIU. The observed resonance was narrower, resulting in a higher Q-factor and figure of merit. By depositing Al2O3, HfO2, and TiO2 of different thicknesses as model analyte layers, surface sensitivity values were estimated to be 10.5% better for PHCG. To evaluate the operation of the sensor in solution, avidin was employed as a model analyte. For avidin detection, the surface of the HCG was first silanized and subsequently functionalized with biotin, which is well known for its ability to bind selectively to avidin. A consistent red shift was observed with the addition of each of the functional layers, and the analysis of the spectral shift for various concentrations of avidin made it possible to calculate the limit of detection (LoD) and limit of quantification (LoQ) for the structures. PHCG showed a LoD of 2.1 ng/mL and LoQ of 85 ng/mL, significantly better than the values 3.2 ng/mL and 213 ng/mL respectively, obtained with the conventional HCG. These results demonstrate that the proposed PHCG have great potential for biosensing applications, particularly for detecting and quantifying low analyte concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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8 pages, 15566 KiB  
Communication
Low Cost and Easy Validation Anticounterfeiting Plasmonic Tags Based on Thin Films of Metal and Dielectric
by Antonio Ferraro, Mauro Daniel Luigi Bruno, Giuseppe Papuzzo, Rosa Varchera, Agostino Forestiero, Maria Penolope De Santo, Roberto Caputo and Riccardo Cristofaro Barberi
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12081279 - 09 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1564
Abstract
Multilevel anticounterfeiting Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) tags based on thin film of silver (Ag), Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and PolyVinylPyrrolidone (PVP), are experimentally demonstrated and validated. We exploit the low adhesion of silver to glass and consequent degradation during ZnO deposition to induce morphological [...] Read more.
Multilevel anticounterfeiting Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) tags based on thin film of silver (Ag), Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and PolyVinylPyrrolidone (PVP), are experimentally demonstrated and validated. We exploit the low adhesion of silver to glass and consequent degradation during ZnO deposition to induce morphological randomness. Several photographs of the tag surfaces have been collected with different illumination conditions and using two smartphones of diverse brand. The photos were analyzed using an image recognition algorithm revealing low common minutiae for different tags. Moreover, the optical response reveals peculiar spectra due to labels of plasmonic nature. The proposed systems can be easily fabricated on large areas and represent a cost-effective solution for practical protection of objects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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15 pages, 5130 KiB  
Article
Optical Pulling Using Chiral Metalens as a Photonic Probe
by Miao Peng, Hui Luo, Zhaojian Zhang, Tengfang Kuang, Dingbo Chen, Wei Bai, Zhijie Chen, Junbo Yang and Guangzong Xiao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(12), 3376; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11123376 - 13 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2175
Abstract
Optical pulling forces, which can pull objects in the source direction, have emerged as an intensively explored field in recent years. Conventionally, optical pulling forces exerted on objects can be achieved by tailoring the properties of an electromagnetic field, the surrounding environment, or [...] Read more.
Optical pulling forces, which can pull objects in the source direction, have emerged as an intensively explored field in recent years. Conventionally, optical pulling forces exerted on objects can be achieved by tailoring the properties of an electromagnetic field, the surrounding environment, or the particles themselves. Recently, the idea of applying conventional lenses or prisms as photonic probes has been proposed to realize an optical pulling force. However, their sizes are far beyond the scope of optical manipulation. Here, we design a chiral metalens as the photonic probe to generate a robust optical pulling force. The induced pulling force exerted on the metalens, characterized by a broadband spectrum over 0.6 μm (from 1.517 to 2.117 μm) bandwidth, reached a maximum value of −83.76 pN/W. Moreover, under the illumination of incident light with different circular polarization states, the longitudinal optical force acting on the metalens showed a circular dichroism response. This means that the longitudinal optical force can be flexibly tuned from a pulling force to a pushing force by controlling the polarization of the incident light. This work could pave the way for a new advanced optical manipulation technique, with potential applications ranging from contactless wafer-scale fabrication to cell assembly and even course control for spacecraft. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Metamaterials)
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