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Vol. 18 (2026)

Cascaded Broadband Low-Frequency Microwave Absorption Covering P- to C-Band in Ultra-Thin Metamaterials via Synergistic Local‑Field and Loss‑Field Enhancement

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02245-1
Qian Yang
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Hongbo Hou
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Yongxi Lu
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Zhongqiu Guo
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Jiaxu Sun
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Peng Zhang
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Tian Yang
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China
Fanbin Meng
Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Fanbin Meng

mengfanbin_wing@126.com

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 407

Abstract

Low-frequency radar waves, particularly in the P-band, present a significant stealth challenge due to the inherent trade‑offs among strong absorption, broad bandwidth, and ultra-thin thickness. These limitations arise from the conflict between structural thickness and wavelength, impedance-matching difficulties, and weakened loss mechanisms. To overcome these constraints, a new strategy for synergistic enhancement of the local field and electromagnetic loss field of metamaterials has been proposed. By employing metasurface structures for local‑field enhancement, strong absorption is achieved at ultra-thin thicknesses. Furthermore, dielectric, magnetic, conduction, and structural resonance losses are integrated to enable strong, broadband absorption. Herein, a double-layer metasurface array is designed and integrated onto a polydimethylsiloxane/flake carbonyl iron high‑loss dielectric substrate. The resulting composite exhibits exceptional performance in the 1.77–2.85 GHz range at a thickness of only 3.78 mm (~ 0.022 λ), with an absorption rate exceeding 90%, and the absorption rate within the 1–6 GHz range can exceed 60%. It also demonstrates good mechanical flexibility and stability. The proposed local‑field enhancement principle provides a new route to bypass the quarter-wavelength limitation of traditional absorbers, while its ultra-thin, broadband, and flexible integrable features highlight its potential for efficient conformal integration on complex curved surfaces.


Highlights:
1 A “local field enhancement” strategy based on field-loss co-design, offering a new approach to overcome the performance trade-offs in low-frequency absorption.
2 A subwavelength coupled metasurface array is used to replace the traditional reflective layer, breaking the thickness limitation imposed by the quarter-wavelength theory.
3 Enabling vertical cascading of absorption performance, moving beyond the constraint of zero transmission in traditional absorbers and opening possibilities for multi-layer design.

Keywords

Low-frequency Local field enhancement Metasurface Mechanical flexibility
Yang, Qian, Hongbo Hou, Yongxi Lu, Zhongqiu Guo, Jiaxu Sun, Peng Zhang, Tian Yang, and Fanbin Meng. 2026. “Cascaded Broadband Low-Frequency Microwave Absorption Covering P- to C-Band in Ultra-Thin Metamaterials via Synergistic Local‑Field and Loss‑Field Enhancement”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (June):407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02245-1.
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