A-Meta: A UK-US Collaboration for Active Metamaterials Research

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Other)
Not Energy Related

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting
Other (Energy technology information dissemination)

Professor AP Hibbins
Physics and Astronomy
University of Exeter

Standard

EPSRC

01 February 2022

31 January 2026

48 months

£1,529,762

Materials sciences

South West

International Centre to Centre

Professor AP Hibbins, Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter

Dr J Bertolotti, Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter
Dr O Ghita, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter
Professor E Hendry, Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter
Dr G R Nash, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter
Professor CD Wright, Engineering Computer Science and Maths, University of Exeter

Project Contact, BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies Limited
Project Contact, National Science Foundation
Project Contact, British Telecommunications Plc (BT)
Project Contact, Phoebus Optoelectronics LLC
Project Contact, Thales Alenia Space UK Ltd
Project Contact, Oxford Instruments plc
Project Contact, Transense Technologies plc
Project Contact, Merck Sharpe And Dohme
Project Contact, Metamaterial Technologies UK
Project Contact, Ball Corporation
Project Contact, Waveoptics
Project Contact, QinetiQ Ltd
Project Contact, Merck and Co Inc, USA
Project Contact, Bodkin Design &Engineering
Project Contact, Airbus UK Ltd
Project Contact, DSTL - Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Project Contact, Workers Educational Association
Project Contact, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Project Contact, City University of New York, USA

Metamaterials are artificial materials with characteristics beyond those found in nature and that enable on-demand control of energy, waves and information to realise game-changing product performance, energy efficiency and functionality. Designed with structure and inclusions on the atom-to-wavelength scale, they underpin exciting emerging trends across a range of markets, e.g., telecommunications, aerospace, medical, sensors, automotive radar, imaging, anti-counterfeiting, camouflage, vibration suppression and more. Numerous market research studies predict significant growth, for example, by 2030 the metamaterial device market is expected to reach a value of over $10bn (e.g., Lux Research 2019).Conventional metamaterials have a response or functionality that is fixed at the time of manufacture. Furthermore, metamaterials often suffer from functionality only over a relatively narrow band of frequencies, whereas many of today's applications require multifunctionality and reconfigurability, while reducing size, weight power and cost. The topic of this proposal, tunable, reconfigurable and programmable metamaterials and active devices, offers the potential of dynamic functionality in order to respond to external stimuli, or change functionality in real-time to meet specific application requirements.In our "A-Meta" collaboration we exploit synergies between the expertise and facilities of the University of Exeter's Centre for Metamaterial Research and Innovation (CMRI) in the UK, and the National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Metamaterials (CfM) in the USA. Together, we focus on three novel methods for enabling metamaterial tunability: phase-change-metasurfaces in the optical regime; photoexcitation of semiconductors for the microwave and THz; and polymer-loaded locally resonant meta-atoms for phononics and elastic waves. Our long list of project partners (Airbus, BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace, Bodkin Design, British Telecommunications, Dstl, Metamaterial Technologies, M.Ventures (Merck), NASA, Oxford Instruments, Phoebus Optoelectronics, QinetiQ, Thales, Transense Technologies, and Wave Optics) demonstrates the timely and strategic importance of active metamaterials and associated devices. Their letters of support detail strong relevance to applications such as wireless communication, sensing, filtering, imaging, consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles, RF devices, efficient and fast computing, high performance mechanical structures, manufacturing processes, and underwater sound control.

23/03/22