A Novel Ultra-Wideband Electromagnetic-Wave-Absorbing Metastructure Inspired by Bionic Gyroid Structures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metamaterials
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Traditional electromagnetic (EM)-wave-absorbing materials often exhibit narrow absorption bandwidths and limited incidence angles due to anisotropic structures.
• Existing materials struggle to meet the demands for broadband and wide-angle EM-wave absorption in advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel EM-wave-absorbing metastructure with isotropic morphology inspired by natural gyroid microstructures.
• To develop a matching redesign methodology for optimizing material and microstructure properties for enhanced EM-wave absorption.
• To demonstrate an ultra-broadband and wide-angle EM-absorbing capability.

Main Methods:

• Bioinspiration from Parides sesostris butterfly wings to design a gyroid microstructure.
• Development of a matching redesign methodology for material-subwavelength scale properties.
• Fabrication using additive manufacturing (AM) followed by dipping processes with dielectric lossy materials.
• Validation through electromagnetic simulations and experimental measurements.

Main Results:

• The bioinspired metastructure achieved an ultrawide absorption bandwidth from 2 to 40 GHz (180% fractional bandwidth) at normal incidence.
• Stable EM-wave absorption performance was observed up to 60° incidence angles for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations.
• The study elucidated the synergistic mechanism between microstructure and material properties.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bioinspired metastructure offers a new paradigm for designing ultra-broadband and wide-angle EM-absorbing materials.
• The gyroid microstructure and matching redesign methodology are effective for overcoming limitations of traditional EM absorbers.
• This work paves the way for advanced multifunctional materials in diverse technological fields.