Biaxially stretchable metamaterial absorber with a four-dimensional printed shape-memory actuator

Among the various methods for strain sensing, the metamaterial absorbers (MMAs) stand out due to their dual capabilities. Specifically, MMAs facilitate the wireless detection of deformations in the target and operate independently of any external power source. However, conventional research has a limitation in that stretchable strain sensors are unable to deform themselves autonomously, which puts constraints on being efficiently utilised in special environments where human intervention is difficult. Herein, we propose a wireless, power-independent, biaxial strain sensor equipped with self-shape and frequency recovery capability that addresses the limitations of existing wireless strain sensors through the unprecedented integration of a 4D-printed shape memory actuator and a biaxially stretchable MMA. The novel integration with the shape memory actuator enables the stretchable MMA to autonomously recover to its original shape and absorption frequency after being heated to 70 °C for a few minutes. This smart functionality enables the resulting wireless strain sensor based on the proposed idea to revert to the original state when sensing a new target without requiring human intervention. The highly sensitive biaxial sensing capability is as follows. When stretched horizontally from 0 % to 30 %, the absorption frequency of the proposed biaxially stretchable MMA demonstrates a linear change from 9.75 GHz to 7.94 GHz, exhibiting a high sensitivity of 4.3 × 10^7 Hz/%. Similarly, when stretched vertically from 0 % to 30 %, the absorption frequency linearly changes from 7.35 GHz to 6.01 GHz, indicating a sensitivity of 5.9 × 10^7 Hz/%. Accordingly, the wireless biaxial sensing capability of the proposed stretchable MMA, as well as its shape-recovery functionality facilitated by the 4D-printed actuator are highly effective for remote strain measurement in environments where direct human involvement is impractical.