Broadband and wideangle absorption of transparent conformal metamaterial

A transparent metamaterial with wide-angle absorption and polarization-insensitive broadband microwave absorbers has been designed. Indium tin oxide (ITO) resistive film is used to construct a composite resonance structure to induce high resistance loss and expand the resonance bandwidth, and by adjusting the position of the array ITO resonator in the transparent medium, more than 90% absorption is achieved in the frequency range of 7–34.6 GHz and the wide angle range from 0° to 60°. Meanwhile, by employing flexible transparent substrates, including polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PET support substrate, good optical transmittance is obtained. The current distribution on the surface of the conductive ITO layer and the absorption rate under different incident angles were simulated, and the analysis verified the absorption mechanism of the absorber and the stability of the wide incident angle. The proposed metamaterial absorber with high absorptivity and polarization insensitivity holds great promise in applications for flexible stealth device.Graphical abstractTheoretical and simulation analysis of Broadband and wideangle absorption of transparent conformal metamaterial.