A universal electromagnetic energy conversion adapter based on a metamaterial absorber

摘要

On the heels of metamaterial absorbers (MAs) which produce near perfectelectromagnetic (EM) absorption and emission, we propose a universalelectromagnetic energy conversion adapter (UEECA) based on MA. By choosing theappropriate energy converting sensors, the UEECA is able to achieve near 100%signal transfer ratio between EM energy and various forms of energy such asthermal, DC electric, or higher harmonic EM energy. The inherited subwavelengthdimension and the EM field intensity enhancement can further empower UEECA inmany critical applications such as energy harvesting, solar cell, and nonlinearoptics. The principle of UEECA is understood with a transmission line model,which further provides a design strategy that can incorporate a variety ofenergy conversion devices. The concept is experimentally validated at amicrowave frequency with a signal transfer ratio of 96% by choosing an RF diodeas the energy converting sensor.