Reconfigurable anisotropy and functional transformations with VO$_{2}$-based metamaterial electric circuits

TL;DR

This paper presents a VO2-based reconfigurable metamaterial electric circuit that dynamically changes its anisotropic properties in response to temperature, enabling functions like cloaking and concentration for electric currents.

Contribution

The work introduces a novel VO2-based metamaterial circuit capable of reconfigurable anisotropy and multifunctional responses driven by thermal stimuli.

Findings

Demonstrated temperature-dependent switching between cloaking and concentration modes.

Implemented a network of thin film resistors with VO2 to achieve tunable anisotropy.

Provided experimental evidence of dynamic reconfiguration in a metamaterial electric circuit.

Abstract

We demonstrate an innovative multifunctional artificial material that combines exotic metamaterial properties and the environmentally responsive nature of phase change media. The tunable metamaterial is designed with the aid of two interwoven coordinate-transformation equations and implemented with a network of thin film resistors and vanadium dioxide ($VO_{2}$). The strong temperature dependence of $VO_{2}$ electrical conductivity results in a relevant modification of the resistor network behavior, and we provide experimental evidence for a reconfigurable metamaterial electric circuit (MMEC) that not only mimics a continuous medium but is also capable of responding to thermal stimulation through dynamic variation of its spatial anisotropy. Upon external temperature change the overall effective functionality of the material switches between a "truncated-cloak" and "concentrator" for electric currents. Possible applications may include adaptive matching resistor networks, multifunctional electronic devices, and equivalent artificial materials in the magnetic domain. Additionally, the proposed technology could also be relevant for thermal management of integrated circuits