Terahertz reconfigurable multi-functional metamaterials based on 3D printed mortise-tenon structures

The emergence of metamaterial has provided an unprecedented ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves, especially in the terahertz band where there is a lack of natural response materials. However, most metamaterials are fixed single function due to the fixed structure at the beginning of design. The paper reports a reconfigurable multi-functional terahertz metamaterial with variable structures based on mortise and tenon mechanism. And a hybrid 3D printing method based on FDM and E-jet is proposed to fabricate the metamaterials, which simplifies the processing process, improves the speed, and reduces the cost compared to traditional semiconductor processing methods. Through flexible mortise and tenon connections, the metamaterial can achieve: (1) narrowband transmission and broadband absorption; (2) perfect reflection; (3) narrowband reflection and broadband absorption. Relying on ingenious design and processing, the multi-functional metamaterials are expected to be widely used in fields such as electromagnetic shielding, radar stealth, communication and so on.