Metamaterials are 3D structures made of metals, plastics, and/or ceramics which have properties not possible with only their unstructured constituent materials.
Their properties occur in response to an external input such as exposure to light, mechanical forces or sound waves.
Metamaterial properties result from designed and engineered features deliberately and systematically placed within it which are of a size, quantity, distribution and structure such that the response is on a scale larger than that of the individual designed elements.
A metasurface is a 2D version of a metamaterial where the structural elements are confined to a 2D plane.
Centre for Metamaterial Reserach and Innovation
Looking for a PhD project in Metamaterials?
Please see our opportunities webpage.
Novel solutions for today's technological problems; new science for tomorrow's challenges.
The CMRI is a community of academic, industrial, and governmental partners that harnesses research excellence from theory to application, and enables simulation, measurement, and fabrication of metamaterials and metamaterial-based devices.
Our breadth is our strength: we are uniquely positioned to solve multi-faceted research questions and industry challenges. Our academic expertise spans electromagnetism (from visible and infra-red through to THz and microwave), acoustics and fluidics. The materials we work with have wide application, e.g. imaging, sensing and spectroscopy, acoustic and RF signature reduction, energy storage and harvesting.
We believe that excellence in research and impactful science comes from great collaboration and networking. Our long-standing experience in working with industrial partners in ICT, energy, healthcare, and defence & security sectors enables us to provide fit-for-purpose collaborations, adjusted to the needs of a variety of businesses, from SMEs to large companies.
We work with national and international academic and industry partners, through research projects, PhD studentships, and consultancy. As such, our EPSRC Centre of Doctoral Training in Metamaterials with over 50 active PhD students is a core part of CMRI, developing the next generation of scientific leaders with scientific knowledge in depth and breadth, and business acumen.
What can metamaterials do for you?
Metamaterials find application in a variety of industrial sectors. Our case studies demonstrate how metamaterials can help modern society to fight cancer, save energy, and protect goods and people.
Contact us: metamaterials@exeter.ac.uk
Leadership team: Prof Alastair P Hibbins (Director), Dr Anja Roeding (Co-Director for Operations and External Relations), and Prof C David Wright (Co-Director for Technology and Applications).
From theory to experiment, design, and fabrication
- Acoustics and Phononics
- Artificial Intelligence
- Fluidics
- Quantum
- RF and Microwave
- Visible and Infrared (incl THz)
Materials, from nanoscale to 3D printing
- Additive layer manufacture
- 2D materials
- Bio/soft materials
- Magnetic materials
- Nanocomposites & Novel dielectrics
- Phase change materials
The translation of metamaterial science into industrial applications
- Defence & Security
- Energy
- Healthcare
- ICT