Materials Today Physics最新文献

{"title":"Surface-conductivity shear rewires near-field thermal photon tunneling","authors":"Lu Yang, Zihao Liu, Leyong Jiang, Xiaohu Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102205","url":null,"abstract":"Near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) is carried by a continuum of momentum-resolved photon-tunneling channels, yet anisotropic control is usually achieved by rotating one complete terminal relative to the other and evaluated primarily through the integrated heat-transfer coefficient. Here, we show that the twist angle <ce:italic>θ</ce:italic> between an anisotropic two-dimensional conducting sheet and its anisotropic substrate provides a distinct local degree of freedom that rewires these channels while the two terminals remain mutually aligned. The non-coaxial surface-conductivity and permittivity tensors produce a reciprocal off-diagonal conductivity and hence surface-conductivity shear, reconstructing the hybrid plasmon–phonon response of each composite interface. Using a full-matrix fluctuational-electrodynamic formulation, we investigate two identical composite terminals, each comprising an anisotropic two-dimensional sheet on an anisotropic substrate; the sheet conductivity is modeled using parameters representative of black phosphorus, and α-MoO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf> is chosen as the anisotropic substrate. At 300 K, the heat-transfer coefficient (HTC) reaches 5.70×10<ce:sup loc=\"post\">4</ce:sup> Wm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−2</ce:sup>K<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> for <ce:italic>n</ce:italic>=5×10<ce:sup loc=\"post\">12</ce:sup> cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−2</ce:sup> and <ce:italic>d</ce:italic>=10 nm, corresponding to 9.32×10<ce:sup loc=\"post\">3</ce:sup> times the blackbody coefficient. Carrier-density tuning produces a gap-dependent crossover, reversing the conductance ordering between 10 and 100 nm. Varying the twist angle shifts selected features of the spectral heat-transfer coefficient (SHTC) and produces pronounced displacement, skewing, and symmetry reconstruction in the momentum-space energy transmission coefficient (ETC). The mirror symmetries about the laboratory axes are broken at intermediate twist angles and restored at 0° and 90°. These results show that sheet–substrate twist reconstructs spectral and momentum-space photon-tunneling channels while the two terminals remain globally aligned. Surface-conductivity shear therefore provides a local tensorial route for engineering thermal-photon tunneling, complementary to interterminal rotation.","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"152 1","pages":"102205"},"PeriodicalIF":11.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149084689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiscale porous carbonyl iron/poly(vinyl alcohol) composites for simultaneously enhanced electromagnetic absorption and shielding","authors":"Shan-Ting Xu,&nbsp;Meng-Ting Xu,&nbsp;Xin Lei,&nbsp;Jing-Rui Fu,&nbsp;Hai-Sen Gao,&nbsp;Tang-Shuai Ma,&nbsp;Ming Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102211","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102211","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing lightweight electromagnetic shielding materials with high absorption efficiency remains a critical challenge. Herein, we propose a structural engineering strategy to fabricate a hierarchical poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/silicon dioxide (SiO₂)/carbonyl iron powder (CIP) composite aerogel via direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing and freeze-drying. By constructing a multiscale porous architecture with printed macro-grids as impedance-matching channels and internal freeze-dried micro-pores as wave scattering cavities, we simultaneously enhance electromagnetic absorption and shielding effectiveness (SE). Specifically, the optimized grid composite achieves a reliable electromagnetic wave (EMW) SE of 24.08 dB within the X-band, and an outstanding normalized SE of 40.48 dB, demonstrating a remarkable lightweight advantage compared with conventional solid equivalents. It mitigates secondary radiation when applied as a functional layer on conventional reflective substrates, alongside advanced structural attributes including a tailored three-layer sandwich design that achieves an extraordinary EMI SE of ∼102.53 dB and customized frequency-selective shielding via a Salisbury-screen-like cavity-interference effect. This work establishes a scalable, structurally engineered macro-manufacturing platform, offering a lightweight, shape-customizable, and absorption-dominated alternative for next-generation integrated stealth skins and EMI shielding applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102211"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing the dual role of Fe in regulating phase constitution and magnetic performance in Sm-Co-Fe nanocrystalline magnets","authors":"Yingzhengsheng Huang,&nbsp;Qiyao Geng,&nbsp;Wei Quan,&nbsp;Longfei Ma,&nbsp;Wangchuan Xiao,&nbsp;Qiang Zheng,&nbsp;Juan Du","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Sm-Co/Fe-Co nanocomposite magnets, the phase constitution is crucial to magnetic performance, yet effective control of the target phase constitution remains a major challenge. The key lies in stabilizing the metastable SmCo₇ (1:7 phase), which possesses both high saturation magnetization and a long exchange length as the dominant phase. This work elucidates the mechanism by which Fe regulates the stability of the metastable 1:7 phase and directs the subsequent phase evolution in the magnet. First-principles calculations indicate that substituting approximately 30 at.% of Co with Fe can significantly stabilize the metastable 1:7 phase and increase its saturation magnetization. Experimentally, by tuning the Fe content in Sm(Co_1-xFe_x)_6.1 alloys and regulating the crystallization behavior in amorphous precursors during thermal annealing, the manipulation of phase evolution was achieved. The phase constitution of the magnet evolves from a single SmCo₅ (1:5 phase) in the Fe-free specimen to a nanocomposite dominated by the 1:7 primary phase at an Fe substitution content of 41.0 at.%. This microstructure mainly consists of the 1:7 phase, with secondary SmCo₃ (1:3 phase) and 1:5 phases as well as finely dispersed Fe-Co grains. The (<em>BH</em>)_max of the optimized nanocomposite exhibits an improvement of 2.6 times (6.5 to 17.0 MGOe), which validates the effectiveness of the proposed phase-design strategy. The approach provides useful guidance for rational phase design in nanocomposite magnets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102210"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Valley polarization and symmetry-driven spin splitting in altermagnetic Fe2S2O and Janus Fe2SSeO monolayers and bilayers","authors":"Apeksha Gauswami,&nbsp;Bhautik R. Dhori,&nbsp;Prafulla K. Jha","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recent discovery of altermagnetism has established a new paradigm for realizing spin-polarized electronic states in collinear antiferromagnets without relying on spin–orbit coupling or net magnetization. Here, we report a comprehensive first-principles DFT (density functional theory) study aimed at understanding the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Fe₂S₂O and the newly proposed Janus Fe₂SSeO monolayers and bilayers. We first confirm that the Fe₂S₂O monolayer hosts an altermagnetic ground state, where uniaxial strain and carrier doping provide efficient control of the valley polarization and piezomagnetic response. Extending the study to bilayers reveals that the altermagnetic behavior of Fe₂S₂O strongly depends on interlayer stacking symmetry, magnetic configuration and external perturbations. In contrast, we demonstrate that the novel Janus Fe₂SSeO bilayer constitutes a previously unexplored intrinsically symmetry-broken altermagnetic system. The inequivalent S- and Se-terminated surfaces permanently remove inversion and mirror symmetries, preventing the restoration of spin degeneracy and stabilizing robust momentum-dependent spin splitting in both AA and AA<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mo>′</mo></mrow></msup></math></span> stacking configurations under different magnetic orders without applying external electric fields. Symmetry analysis further reveals that the interplay between interlayer registry and crystal-spin symmetry governs the spin-layer coupling and electronic reconstruction. Our findings establish Janus bilayer engineering as an effective route toward intrinsic altermagnetism and provide a promising platform for designing two-dimensional spintronic and valleytronic materials based on symmetry-controlled electronic states.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102198"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors (GaN, 4H-SiC, and β-Ga2O3): Methods, Defect Fingerprints, and Device-Relevant Insights Materials Today Physics 67 (2026) 102204","authors":"Muskan Verma,Ashish Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102216","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102216","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"38 1","pages":"102216"},"PeriodicalIF":11.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148894000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Theoretical study on the novel absorber Perovskite InGeCl3-based solar cells","authors":"Gülcin Corbaci,&nbsp;Yasemin O. Ciftci","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Comprehensive DFT and SCAPS-1D simulations are performed to design and optimize a high-efficiency lead-free perovskite solar cell with InGeCl₃ as the absorber layer. Using DFT-based VASP programs, the structural, elastic, electronic, and optical properties of the perovskite InGeCl3 are studied. The DFT results indicate that InGeCl3 is thermodynamically and mechanically stable. The obtained band structure shows the compound has a p-type direct band gap of 1.45 eV using HSE06. This study uses physical input parameters for SCAPS-1D derived from first-principles (DFT) calculations for the InGeCl₃ absorber layer and from the existing literature for the adjacent charge-transport layers. The effects of absorber thickness and band alignment are systematically analyzed to optimize the FTO/TiO₂/InGeCl₃/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au device architecture. InGeCl₃ exhibits strong optical absorption, enabling high photogenerated current densities. Under optimized conditions, the proposed lead-free device achieves a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 28.15%, with a short-circuit current density of 43.12 mA cm⁻², an open-circuit voltage of 0.844 V, and a fill factor of 77.3%. These results demonstrate that InGeCl₃ is a highly promising, environmentally benign alternative to conventional lead-based perovskites for next-generation photovoltaic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102203"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced piezoelectric response and stable Td in Bi-compensated Sb2O3-modified NKBT ceramics","authors":"Xuanrui Hu,&nbsp;Yongping Pu,&nbsp;Jiachen Li,&nbsp;Yu Han,&nbsp;Yuhang Xin,&nbsp;Xinhong Zhang,&nbsp;Gang He,&nbsp;Honglie Liu,&nbsp;Bo Wang,&nbsp;Lei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-based lead-free piezoceramics are promising candidates for replacing Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃-based materials, yet their practical use remains limited by the difficulty of simultaneously achieving high piezoelectric activity and stable depolarization behavior. Here, a synergistic Bi-compensation/Sb₂O₃-modification strategy is proposed in 0.82 Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃–0.18K_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (NKBT) ceramics. In this design, Bi compensation is introduced to mitigate A-site nonstoichiometry caused by Bi volatilization during sintering, whereas Sb₂O₃ provides Sb⁵⁺-related B-site modification that is expected to regulate the TiO₆ octahedral environment and the local charge-compensation state. The coupled Bi/Sb regulation modulates the R3c/P4bm multiphase coexistence, local lattice distortion, polarization switching, dielectric response, and defect-related internal bias behavior. As a result, the optimized <em>x</em> = 0.012 ceramic exhibits an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient of 223 pC/N while retaining a depolarization temperature of approximately 104 °C, together with an increased dielectric response and reduced coercive field. The improvement is mainly attributed to the flattened free-energy landscape near the R3c/P4bm phase-coexistence region and the enhanced dielectric/polarization response induced by appropriate Sb₂O₃ modification. Meanwhile, defect-related internal bias effects associated with the Bi-compensated Sb₂O₃ component contribute to asymmetric strain behavior and help stabilize the poled ferroelectric state against thermal depolarization. These results demonstrate that synergistic Bi compensation and Sb₂O₃ modification provide an effective route for enhancing the piezoelectric response of BNT-based lead-free ceramics while preserving depolarization stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102212"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular insights into the odd-even effect on the thermal conductivity of liquid crystalline epoxy resins","authors":"Jiangnan Song,&nbsp;Kai Meng,&nbsp;Bing Yao,&nbsp;Guangxin Lv,&nbsp;Weigang Ma,&nbsp;Meng An","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102209","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102209","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid development of flexible organic electronic devices and high-power electronic chips has intensified the demands for high thermal conductivity in epoxy resins-based thermal management materials. While molecular engineering of polymer to enhance thermal conductivity has uncovered the even-odd effect in the thermal conductivity of liquid crystalline epoxy resins, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations were employed to systematically investigate liquid crystalline epoxy resin systems with varying linker lengths (<em>x</em> = 2-8). Three controlled reference ensembles with different levels of orientational and structural order were constructed, including long-range ordered, short-range ordered, and amorphous systems, representing relatively high, intermediate, and low degrees of structural ordering in epoxy resins, respectively. In both the long-range-ordered and short-range-ordered reference ensembles, thermal conductivity and mass density exhibit pronounced linker-parity-dependent variations, whereas this odd-even effect is significantly weakened in the amorphous reference ensemble. Through analyses of the morphological characteristics and phonon transport properties, we reveal that the odd-even effect in liquid crystalline epoxy resins is closely associated with the evolution of molecular chain conformation and interchain packing behavior. When the overall ordering level of the model is maintained, the parity of linker length can regulate the equilibrium chain conformation, local packing structure, and interchain interactions. These parity-induced structural variations further modulate phonon transport processes, leading to differences in thermal conductivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102209"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperature-induced dielectric and charge transport mechanisms in Pr0.8Na0.2-xKxMnO3 (x=0.0 and x=0.05) manganites: Insights from universal conductivity, Havriliak–Negami, and Drude models","authors":"Issam Ouni,&nbsp;Youssef Moualhi,&nbsp;Hedi Rahmouni","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102208","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102208","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Negative permittivity phenomena in naturally occurring oxide materials have recently attracted growing interest as an alternative route toward metamaterial design, although the underlying physical mechanisms and governing theoretical frameworks remain insufficiently explored. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of the dielectric and charge transport properties of Pr_0.8Na_0.2-xK_xMnO₃ manganites (x = 0.0 and 0.05) over a wide temperature range (80–500 K), aiming to elucidate the origin of the temperature-driven transition from positive to negative dielectric permittivity and its correlation with electrical conductivity. The dielectric response exhibits a clear crossover from positive to negative permittivity with increasing temperature. At low temperatures, the dielectric relaxation behavior is well described by the Havriliak–Negami formalism, whereas at high temperatures, the Drude model successfully accounts for the observed negative permittivity and metallic-like response. In parallel, the AC electrical conductivity spectra follow the Jonscher power law at low temperatures and transition to a Drude-type conductivity beyond a critical temperature, revealing a strong coupling between dielectric and charge transport processes. The high-temperature negative permittivity and Drude-like behavior are attributed to plasma oscillations arising from collective charge carrier dynamics. At low temperatures, both compositions exhibit semiconducting behavior, with potassium substitution (5%) leading to a significant enhancement of electrical conductivity by nearly three orders of magnitude at 80 K. The temperature dependence of the frequency exponent indicates that the AC conduction mechanism is governed by correlated barrier hopping and non-overlapping small polaron tunneling processes. The successful superposition of conductivity spectra confirms the validity of the Time–Temperature Superposition Principle (TTSP). However, at high frequencies, potassium substitution induces a deviation from the Summerfield scaling law, indicating a temperature-dependent charge carrier mobility in Pr_0.8Na_0.15K_0.05MnO₃. This deviation is effectively corrected by introducing a positive scaling parameter α that increases with temperature. The coexistence of negative permittivity and epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) behavior at high frequencies highlights the potential of these manganites for electromagnetic and ENZ-based devices, while the positive permittivity and semiconducting nature at low temperatures make them promising candidates for ceramic capacitor applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102208"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rational design of MXene-Based Fe3O4@C aerogel and periodic closely-arranged truncated cone-shaped structure for microwave absorption","authors":"Jieyan Zhang,&nbsp;Xiao Li,&nbsp;Kaiheng Zhang,&nbsp;Man Li,&nbsp;Haowei Zhou,&nbsp;Zilin Huang,&nbsp;Yu Wang,&nbsp;Moustafa Adel Darwish,&nbsp;M.M. Salem,&nbsp;Tao Zhou,&nbsp;Murat Yilmaz,&nbsp;Azim Uddin,&nbsp;Di Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing lightweight microwave absorbers with strong attenuation capability, broad effective absorption bandwidth, and structural adaptability remains a critical challenge for electromagnetic protection applications. Herein, a hierarchical material–structure design strategy is proposed by integrating cavity-tailored Fe₃O₄@C particles with MXene-based aerogels and a periodic closely arranged truncated-cone absorber. Fe₃O₄@C particles with different cavity degrees, denoted as FC-0, FC-15, and FC-120, are synthesized by regulating the hydrochloric acid etching time and subsequently assembled with MXene nanosheets to construct lightweight porous MFC aerogels. The partially hollow Fe₃O₄@C particles in MFC-15 retain sufficient magnetic Fe₃O₄ cores while introducing internal air–solid interfaces and local scattering cavities, enabling optimized magnetic–dielectric balance, interfacial polarization, impedance matching, and electromagnetic attenuation. As a result, MFC-15 exhibits a minimum reflection loss of −54.15 dB, and the effective absorption bandwidth can cover 3.28–18 GHz by adjusting the matching thickness. CST simulation further reveals a radar cross-section reduction of 24.5 dB m² at 9.36 GHz, indicating its potential for practical electromagnetic wave attenuation. Inspired by insect compound eyes, a periodic closely arranged truncated-cone absorber is further designed and optimized to introduce gradient impedance transition, multi-resonance coupling, field localization, and extended propagation pathways. The optimized structure achieves an ultra-wide simulated effective absorption bandwidth of 15.19 GHz and a peak absorption intensity of −53 dB, while the fabricated prototype delivers a measured effective absorption bandwidth of 13.7 GHz. This work demonstrates that coupling tunable cavity engineering with periodic absorber architecture is an effective route toward lightweight, broadband, and high-efficiency microwave absorbing devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18253,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Physics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102202"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}