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Updated: Mar 25, 2026
11:09
Scalable Solution-processed Fabrication Strategy for High-performance, Flexible, Transparent Electrodes with Embedded Metal Mesh
Published on: June 23, 2017
10.8K
Invisible metallic mesh.
Dexin Ye1, Ling Lu2, John D Joannopoulos2
1Laboratory of Applied Research on Electromagnetics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Summary
Researchers developed a novel metallic mesh that renders objects invisible by mimicking air's electromagnetic properties. This nonscattering material offers practical benefits without altering electromagnetic designs.
Area of Science:
- Electromagnetism
- Materials Science
- Optics
Background:
- A natural solid material with air's electromagnetic properties, capable of rendering objects invisible, has not been discovered.
- Such a material would not reflect or refract light at any angle of incidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel method for creating a solid material with air's electromagnetic properties.
- To achieve omnidirectional invisibility for objects in free space.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing nonscattering corrugated metallic wires.
- Aligning dark-state frequencies in multiple scattering channels of a single wire.
- Employing analytical solutions, full-wave simulations, and microwave measurements on 3D printed samples.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated omnidirectional invisibility in any configuration using the constructed metallic mesh.
- Confirmed the material's ability to neither reflect nor refract light.
Conclusions:
- The developed invisible metallic mesh offers a simple, robust, and scalable solution for achieving invisibility.
- This technology can enhance mechanical stability, electrical conduction, and heat dissipation without disrupting electromagnetic designs.
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