Origami-based microwave absorber with a reconfigurable bandwidth

Reconfigurability is critical for the research fields in electromagnetics, mechanics, and acoustics, due to the controllability of functionalities. This Letter numerically and experimentally demonstrates an origami-based absorber with a reconfigurable bandwidth. The proposed structure provides four transformable models: flat sheet, single-arch-folded, double-arch-folded, and U-shaped strips filled, corresponding to the performance of nearly no absorption, one-peak absorption, two-peak absorption, and ultra-broadband absorption (3.4-18 GHz), which clearly demonstrates the bandwidth-enhancement effect. In contrast with the traditional structural absorbers, the transformable flat sheet and U-shaped strips are obtained by three-dimensional printing, which exhibits an obvious superiority in prototype fabrication. These results provide a feasible strategy for energy dissipation and origami transformation.