Metamaterials for high-performance smart sensors

In recent years, metamaterials have shown great potential in various fields such as optics, acoustics, and electromagnetics. Sensors based on metamaterials have been gradually applied in daily production, life, and military. Metamaterials are artificial materials with unique properties that ordinary materials do not possess. Through clever microstructure design, they can achieve different properties and have demonstrated significant potential in areas like holographic projection, absorbing materials, and super-resolution microscopy. Sensors are devices that convert external environmental changes into recognizable signals, playing a crucial role in various fields such as healthcare, industry, and military. Therefore, the development of sensors with high sensitivity, low detection limit, wide detection range, and easy integration is of great significance. Sensors based on metamaterials can not only achieve these improvements but also offer advantages like anti-interference and stealth sensing, which traditional sensors lack. These enhancements and new features are significant for the sensor field's development. This article summarizes the benefits of metamaterial sensors in terms of increased sensitivity, expanded detection range, and ease of system integration. It also systematically discusses their applications in various fields such as biomedical and gas sensing. The focus is on the potential applications and development trends of metamaterial-based sensors in the future of human life, providing systematic guidance for the field's advancement.