3D Printed Metamaterial Absorber Based on Vanadium Dioxide Phase Transition Control Prepared at Room Temperature

Abstract

The thermal phase transition characteristics of vanadium dioxide can effectively regulate the absorption performance of metamaterial absorbers. A petal-shaped metamaterial absorber is designed based on vanadium dioxide phase transition control and prepared metamaterial samples using surface projection micro stereolithography (PµSL) 3D printing technology. Then, vanadium dioxide thin films are coated on the surface of the metamaterial using the ultrasonic spraying method. The PµSL 3D printing technology makes it possible to prepare high-precision complex samples, and the ultrasonic spraying method enables the coating of vanadium dioxide thin films at room temperature. To demonstrate the stability of this method, two different metamaterial structures are prepared: planar structure and hemispherical structure. In the experiment, a non-contact heating method is used to regulate the temperature of the vanadium dioxide thin film, which made the temperature of the metamaterial sample controllable, stable, and uniformly heated. The experimental results show that the designed metamaterial absorber has excellent modulation performance and excellent switching characteristics, which proves the reliability of the method.