How the UK Metamaterials Network supports scientific and commercial innovation
Dec 5, 2024
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In this engaging discussion, Alastair Hibbins, a metamaterials expert from the University of Exeter, and Claire Dancer, a commercialization guru from the University of Warwick, dive into the transformative world of metamaterials. They reveal innovative applications like soundproof materials and advanced mobile lenses. The duo shares insights on the UK Metamaterials Network, highlighting its growth and impact on research and industry. They also express excitement about future collaborations and the welcoming of their thousandth member by 2025.
The UK Metamaterials Network fosters collaboration between academia, industry, and government to enhance research and development in metamaterials.
Innovative metamaterial applications, like soundproofing and advanced optical lenses, demonstrate significant potential for improving various everyday technologies.
Deep dives
Understanding Metamaterials
Metamaterials are artificially engineered structures that provide functionalities not typically available in natural materials. They are crafted through the precise arrangement of unit cells to achieve desired properties, enabling applications like cloaking and advanced optical functions. This concept has roots in ancient history, yet modern advancements, particularly since the late 1990s, have revitalized interest and innovation in this field. The ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves and other properties through structural design makes metamaterials a critical area of research in material science.
Diverse Applications and Innovations
The potential applications of metamaterials are extensive and span various sectors, including telecommunications, healthcare, and noise reduction. For example, innovative designs have led to the development of auxetic materials for protective sports gear, which provide better fit and flexibility. Additionally, advancements in noise-canceling technologies, such as those from companies like Sonobex and Metasonics, utilize metamaterials to reduce road noise and manage sound in urban environments. These innovations highlight how metamaterials can improve everyday products by enhancing their performance without increasing their weight or volume.
Commercialization and Future Prospects
The pathway to commercializing metamaterials poses challenges, particularly in manufacturing and standardization. Current methods often involve complex manual processes unsuitable for large-scale production, which creates barriers for widespread application. Despite this, initiatives like the Metamaterials Network aim to create a cohesive community that fosters collaboration between academia and industry, focusing on the development and acceptance of new materials. Looking ahead, the hope is that metamaterials will become integral to daily technologies, driving significant advancements in fields such as healthcare, energy, and aerospace.
This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast explores the science and commercial applications of metamaterials with Claire Dancer of the University of Warwick and Alastair Hibbins of the University of Exeter.
They lead the UK Metamaterials Network, which brings together people in academia, industry and governmental agencies to support and expand metamaterial R&D; nurture talent and skills; promote the adoption of metamaterials in the wider economy; and much more.
According to the network, “A metamaterial is a 3D structure with a response or function due to the collective effect of meta-atom elements that is not possible to achieve conventionally with any individual constituent material”.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Physics World’s Matin Durrani, Hibbins and Dancer talk about exciting commercial applications of metamaterials including soundproof materials and lenses for mobile phones – and how they look forward to welcoming the thousandth member of the network sometime in 2025.
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