Rechargeable Metasurfaces for Dynamic Color Display Based on a Compositional and Mechanical Dual-Altered Mechanism

Deep learning-assisted inverse design of metasurfaces for active color image tuning

Metasurfaces, artificial planar nanostructures, offer numerous advantages for color printing applications, including ultra-high resolution, resistance to fading, wide color gamut coverage, and multifunctional capabilities. Due to the sensitivity of their resonance spectra to the external environment, metasurfaces have garnered significant interest for color tuning applications. However, most existing approaches are limited to passive color tuning, wherein only the color changes passively while the composite color image remains unaltered. Active color image tuning, on the other hand, requires precise matching of both color and intensity to the designed targets before and after the tuning process. In this study, we propose a novel approach for active metasurface color image tuning by modulating the environmental refractive index. Building upon a forward neural network that establishes the relationship between the metasurface geometric parameters and color/intensity information, we employ a multi-objective inverse adjoint neural network. This network not only overcomes the inherent 'one-to-many' problem in inverse design using neural networks but also facilitates active color image tuning under three distinct environmental conditions. Our work provides a new approach for the inverse design of metasurfaces and opens up possibilities for applications in dynamic color printing, information encryption, and other related fields.

Broadband High Optical Transparent Intelligent Metasurface for Adaptive Electromagnetic Wave Manipulation

Intelligent metasurfaces have garnered widespread attention owing to their properties of sensing electromagnetic (EM) environments and multifunctional adaptive EM wave manipulation. However, intelligent metasurfaces with broadband high optical transparency have not been studied to date, and most of the previous intelligent metasurfaces lack an integrated design for their actuators and sensors, resulting in lower integration levels. This study proposes a novel intelligent metasurface with adaptive EM wave manipulation ability and high optical transparency from visible to infrared bands. This metasurface consists of a transparent and current-controlled reconfigurable metasurface as an actuator by integrating patterned vanadium dioxide (VO2) into metal-meshed resonant units, transparent broadband microstrip antenna as a sensor, recognition-and-feedback module, and actuator- and sensor-integrated design on the same substrate. The EM-regulating capability of the designed transparent intelligent metasurface is theoretically analyzed using the coupled mode theory, and a prototype metasurface device is fabricated for experimental verification. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the metasurface exhibits over 80% normalized transmittance from 380 to 5,000 nm and adaptive EM wave manipulation (reflective strong shielding function with a shielding efficiency of over 24 dB, high transmittance function with a transmission loss of 1.24 dB, and strong absorption function with an absorption of 97%) according to the EM wave power parameters without manual intervention. This study provides an avenue for transparent intelligent metasurfaces with extensive application prospects in areas such as intelligent optical windows, radar enclosures, and communication.