Open AccessAchieving low-emissivity materials with high transmission for broadband radio-frequency signals
Author(s) -
Liu Liu,
Huiting Chang,
Tao Xu,
Yanan Song,
Chi Zhang,
Zhi Hong Hang,
Xinhua Hu
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-04988-9
Subject(s) - emissivity , broadband , transmission (telecommunications) , wireless , computer science , radio spectrum , radio frequency , frequency band , materials science , block (permutation group theory) , low frequency , low emissivity , process (computing) , fabrication , wavelength , optoelectronics , telecommunications , optics , physics , antenna (radio) , medicine , geometry , mathematics , alternative medicine , pathology , operating system
The use of low-emissivity (low-e) materials in modern buildings is an extremely efficient way to save energy. However, such materials are coated by metallic films, which can strongly block radio-frequency signals and prevent indoor-outdoor wireless communication. Here, we demonstrate that, when specially-designed metallic metasurfaces are covered on them, the low-e materials can remain low emissivity for thermal radiation and allow very high transmission for a broad band of radio-frequency signals. It is found that the application of air-connected metasurfaces with subwavelength periods is critical to the observed high transmission. Such effects disappear if periods are comparable to wavelengths or metal-connected structures are utilized. The conclusion is supported by both simulations and experiments. Advantages such as easy to process, low cost, large-area fabrication and design versatility of the metasurface make it a promising candidate to solve the indoor outdoor communication problem.