Metamaterial particles for electromagnetic energy harvesting

Abstract

Metamaterials are typically made of an ensemble of electrically small resonators such as metallic loops. The fact that such particles resonate individually to generate a bulk material behavior having enhanced constitutive parameters is essentially indicative of these particles' ability to collect energy. We show that such particles act as energy collectors when a resistive load is inserted within the particle's gap. A proof of concept is provided using a 5.8 GHz field and a split-ring resonator (SRR) as the electromagnetic energy collecting cell. Numerical simulation for a 9 × 9 SRR array shows the effectiveness of an SRR array as an energy collector plate.