Abstract-A flexible ultra-wideband terahertz absorber based on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

Dongyang Xiao, Minmin Zhu, Leimeng Sun, Chun Zhao, Yurong Wang, Edwin Hang Tong Teo, Fangjing Hu, Liangcheng Tu

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.9b14428

Ultra-wideband absorbers have found wide applications in wireless communications, energy harvesting and stealth applications. Herein, with the combination of experimental and theoretical analyses, we develop a flexible ultra-wideband terahertz (THz) absorber based on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs). Measured results show that the proposed absorber is able to work efficiently within the entire THz region (e.g., 0.1 to 3.0 THz), with an average power absorptance of >98% at normal incidence. The absorption performance remains very high over a wide incident angle up to 60 degree More importantly, our devices can function normally, even after being bent up to 90 degree or after 300 times of bending. The total thickness of the device is about 360 μm, which is only 1/8 of the wavelength for the lowest evaluated frequency of 0.1 THz. The new insight into the VACNT materials paves the way for applications such as radar cross-section reduction, electromagnetic interference shielding and flexible sensing due to the simplicity, flexibility, ultra-wideband operation and large-scale fabrication of the device.

Abstract-Wafer-scale vertically aligned carbon nanotubes for broadband terahertz wave absorption

Leimeng Sun, Minmin Zhu, Chun Zhao, Peiyi Song, Yurong Wang, Dongyang Xiao, Huafeng Liu, Siu HonTsang, Edwin HangTong Teo, Fangjing Hu, Liangcheng Tu,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008622319307985

Materials with high and broadband absorption characteristics in the terahertz (THz) range are desirable for many applications. In this paper, we propose, fabricate and experimentally demonstrated a wafer-scale vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) array for broadband THz wave absorption. The effects of VACNT parameters on the absorption performance are investigated within the THz and infrared spectra using the Maxwell-Garnett theory, revealing that the absorption in the THz range can be greatly enhanced by suitable selections of the length, volume fraction and vertical misalignment of CNTs. A VACNT array with an average CNT length of $\sim$600 μm is fabricated on a 4-inch silicon substrate. Experimental results measured by a THz time-domain spectroscopic system show an average power absorptance of $\sim$98% from 0.3 to 2.5 THz, and agree well with the numerical modelling. This device can be used as a cost-effective near-perfect absorber across the THz and infrared regions for thermal emission and imaging, electromagnetic interference shielding, stealth and energy harvesting applications.