D. Swett
Aramco Research Services,
United States
Keywords: metamaterials, electromagnetic
Summary:
Metamaterials are artificial materials built upon subwavelength constructs that mimic the behavior of natural materials but lead to macroscopic interactions with physical waves beyond those seen in natural materials. Metamaterials derive their unusual properties from the geometric structures that comprise the composite rather than the materials themselves. Creation of the desired properties in a metamaterial is then a matter of development of the appropriate geometric elements for the frequency range(s) of interest. This concept of arbitrarily tailorable wave manipulation is compelling to consider indeed, particularly with respect to the development of technologies which have historically been limited by the properties of natural materials. Metamaterials research has led to a wide range of theoretical and practical designs with unlikely physical properties such as simultaneously negative electrical permittivity and magnetic permeability corresponding to negative refractive index in EM waves, near perfect absorption of mechanical vibrational energy in elastic solids, and transparent transmission of acoustic waves through solid barriers, as a few examples. Here we review some of the developing technologies using metamaterials for applications that include advanced infrared spectroscopy for fluid and gas properties measurements, near perfect energy absorption for suppression of mechanical vibration, as well as improved photocatalysis via localized field enhancements.