metamaterials
Artificially structured composites
Metamaterials are engineered materials with structures designed to have properties not found in nature.
Their behavior comes not from their chemical composition but from their physical architecture—precisely arranged patterns smaller than the wavelengths they interact with.
Metamaterials can bend light, sound, or other waves in unusual ways: Researchers used metamaterials to create an acoustic cloak that redirects sound around an object.
The field emerged from attempts to achieve negative refraction, which could theoretically make objects invisible.
Act of hiding something
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- permittivityElectric polarization capacity
- permeabilityAbility to transmit fluids
- dielectricPolarizable electrical non-conductor
chirality · anisotropy · hyperbolic · tunable · absorption · scattering · resonators · antenna
Billionth-meter dimension
- nanostructuresAtomic-scale engineered arrangements
- nanoparticlesUltrafine material fragments
- nanotubesHollow molecular cylinders
- grapheneMonolayer carbon hexagonal lattice
nanowires · self-assembly · etching · deposition · bottom-up · top-down · patterning
Above audible frequency range
- soundproofingPreventing noise transmission
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- sonarUnderwater detection by echoes
- echolocationNavigation through reflected sound
Of vision or light
- holographicMade of light interference patterns
- iridescenceColor shift from interference
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
- waveguideStructure directing energy propagation
Detecting through perception
- imagingProducing visual representations
- wirelessUntethered signal transmission
- radarRadio-wave object detection
- telecommunicationsRemote signal transmission technology
spacecraft · camouflage · lensing · wearables
cloaking
Act of hiding something
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- permittivityElectric polarization capacity
- permeabilityAbility to transmit fluids
dielectric · chirality · anisotropy · hyperbolic · tunable · absorption · scattering · resonators · antenna
nanoscale
Billionth-meter dimension
- nanostructuresAtomic-scale engineered arrangements
- nanoparticlesUltrafine material fragments
- nanotubesHollow molecular cylinders
graphene · nanowires · self-assembly · etching · deposition · bottom-up · top-down · patterning
ultrasonic
Above audible frequency range
- soundproofingPreventing noise transmission
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- sonarUnderwater detection by echoes
optical
Of vision or light
- holographicMade of light interference patterns
- iridescenceColor shift from interference
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
sensing
Detecting through perception
- imagingProducing visual representations
- wirelessUntethered signal transmission
- radarRadio-wave object detection
telecommunications · spacecraft · camouflage · lensing · wearables
metamaterialsnatural materials
Substances from nature unprocessed
natural substances · raw materials · found materials · organic materials · organic matter