Electromagnetic performance and loss mechanism decoding of 3D woven composite metamaterials through physical and computational models

Abstract Electromagnetic metamaterials regulated the directional transmission of electromagnetic waves to optimize the electromagnetic characteristics of electronic devices, but the facile lamination failure limited the wider application. The introduction of 3D weaving technology significantly enhanced the structural integrity and anti-delamination capabilities of metamaterials. However, due to their unique buckling structures and discrete fiber morphologies, traditional metamaterial theories struggled to explain the electromagnetic mechanisms of 3D woven metamaterials. In this study, the physical and computational models for 3D woven composite metamaterials were developed to decode the in-phase reflection and electromagnetic loss mechanism. The input impedance and reflection phase of metamaterials with different patch sizes and different weaving density were calculated by physical and computational models. The models calculated the resonant frequency difference of less than 0.4 GHz, with in-phase reflection bandwidth agreement of 80.4%. Furthermore, the computational model revealed the mechanism of energy loss caused by the increase of the surface current of the patches due to the decrease of the weaving density. The experimental results of the reflection phase for metamaterials with different patch sizes and different weaving density closely matched the calculated outcomes, confirming the model’s reliability. This study provided a crucial theoretical foundation for electromagnetic mechanisms of fabric metamaterials.