Ink-jet printed metamaterial microwave absorber using reactive inks.

Ink-jet printing technology is one of the most promising printing techniques enabling fabrication of metamaterial absorber (MMA) in a one-step and direct process. In this study and for the first time the metamaterial microwave absorbing structure is proposed using water-based reactive inks and ink-jet printing technique. The MMA based on Unite-Ring-Swastika Cross Resonator (URSCR) is printed on a copy paper. The printed MMA structure is flexible and includes an ink-jet printed silver unit cell, a dielectric layer (copy paper), and an ink-jet printed silver ground plate was formed underneath the substrate. The working principles of the unit cell of MMA and its parametric simulations are evaluated. The performance of MMA with the full-wave simulation at the microwave frequency band is assessed as well, showing great agreement with the results obtained from the measurements. The experimental results indicate that the amount of measured flexible MMA absorption based on URSCR at resonance frequency on a planar surface at 0° to 40° incident angles and on a cylindrical surface at a 0° incident angle stays over 99%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]