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Multifunctional Flipping-Based Mechanical Metasurface Enabling Optical-Microwave Dual-Modal Reconfigurability
Siqi Huang1, Zi Xuan Cai1, Xin Yu Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Wave, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 22, 2026
Summary
MetaScreen is a novel metasurface that uses a mechanical flipping mechanism for energy-efficient control of electromagnetic waves and visual display. This low-power, stable platform enables dynamic beam steering and information display for advanced wireless communication and sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Metasurface technology
- Electromagnetic wave manipulation
- Mechanical engineering
Background:
- Intelligent metasurfaces are crucial for advanced wireless communication and sensing.
- Existing metasurfaces often suffer from high power consumption and complex fabrication.
- Scalability and deployment of current technologies are limited by their power demands and manufacturing complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce MetaScreen, a mechanically reconfigurable metasurface.
- To demonstrate simultaneous electromagnetic (EM) wave manipulation and optical display.
- To overcome the limitations of power-hungry electronic circuits in conventional intelligent metasurfaces.
Main Methods:
- Developed MetaScreen utilizing a unique flipping mechanism for meta-atoms.
- Integrated permanent magnets and a microcontroller-driven magnetic-control module for nonvolatile mechanical switching.
- Employed color-coded coatings on meta-atoms for intrinsic visual programmability.
Main Results:
- Achieved low-power and stable EM wave manipulation through mechanical switching.
- Enabled simultaneous microwave wavefront control and visible information display.
- Demonstrated dynamic beam steering, adaptive EM wave focusing, human-machine interaction, and microwave holography.
Conclusions:
- MetaScreen offers a practical, energy-efficient, and scalable solution for EM wave control and visual display.
- The platform's low cost, stability, and multi-domain programmability support applications in wireless communication, IoT, and optical-EM camouflage.
- This work presents a sustainable approach to advanced metasurface applications.
