Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026
Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
Published on: May 20, 2018
Electrically Reconfigurable Terahertz Metasurface Composed of a Liquid Crystal Elastomer Unit-Cell Array
Wei Zhang1,2, Youwen An3, Yajing Shen2,4
1State Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber and Cable Manufacture Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Oxide Materials and Devices, Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Researchers developed a novel terahertz soft-MEMS platform using liquid crystal elastomer meta-atoms that enable 3D bending for reconfigurable metasurfaces. This breakthrough offers enhanced control for terahertz applications like advanced imaging and wireless communication.
Area of Science:
- Terahertz technology
- Metamaterials and Metasurfaces
- Soft Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Background:
- Reconfigurable terahertz metasurfaces are vital for advanced technologies but face limitations in 2D design and ohmic losses.
- Existing active metasurfaces struggle with design freedom and material conductivity issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel terahertz soft-MEMS platform utilizing liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) meta-atoms for reconfigurable metasurfaces.
- To demonstrate reversible 3D mechanical bending of individual meta-atoms and its effect on plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) spectra.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a terahertz soft-MEMS platform with an array of electrically driven LCE meta-atoms featuring a PIT pattern.
- Actuation of LCE meta-atoms via the thermal effect of applied current to induce progressive 3D mechanical bending.
- Experimental observation and measurement of PIT spectra modulation due to meta-atom bending.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated reversible 3D mechanical bending of individual LCE meta-atoms.
- Achieved significant modulation of PIT spectra up to 26.13% through meta-atom bending.
- Confirmed high repeatability and stability of LCE meta-atoms over 10 heating-recovery cycles.
Conclusions:
- The developed terahertz soft-MEMS platform offers a unique approach to reconfigurable metasurfaces with enhanced 3D design freedom.
- The LCE meta-atoms exhibit excellent stability and repeatability, overcoming limitations of previous terahertz MEMS metasurfaces.
- This platform holds significant promise for next-generation terahertz applications, including smart beam steering and spatial light modulation.
