Ultra-broadband absorbance of nanometer-thin pyrolyzed-carbon film on silicon nitride membrane.

Fifty percents absorption by thin film, with thickness is much smaller than the skin depth and optical thickness much smaller than the wavelength, is a well-known concept of classical electrodynamics. This is a valuable feature that has been numerously widely explored for metal films, while chemically inert nanomembranes are a real fabrication challenge. Here we report the 20 nm thin pyrolyzed carbon film (PyC) placed on 300 nm thick silicon nitride (Si3N4) membrane demonstrating an efficient broadband absorption in the terahertz and near infrared ranges. While the bare Si3N4membrane is completely transparent in the THz range, the 20 nm thick PyC layer increases the absorption of the PyC coated Si3N4membrane to 40%. The reflection and transmission spectra in the near infrared region reveal that the PyC film absorption persists to a level of at least 10% of the incident power. Such a broadband absorption of the PyC film opens new pathways toward broadband bolometric radiation detectors.

Blueshift and phase tunability in planar THz metamaterials: the role of losses and toroidal dipole contribution.

We propose a model of tunable THz metamaterials. The main advantage is the blueshift of resonance and phase tunability due to inductive coupling in planar metallic metamolecules with incorporated silicon wires. We discuss the role of losses and toroidal dipole contribution to metamaterial response.

Segregated Conductive Polymer Composite with Fe3O4-Decorated Graphite Nanoparticles for Microwave Shielding.

Graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs)-the segregated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-based composites with hybrid filler-decorated with Fe3O4 were developed. Using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, it was shown that the decorated component has the shape of separate granules, or their clusters were distributed evenly over the GNPs surface. The individual Fe3O4 nanoparticles are predominantly rounded, with diameters of approximately 20-60 nm. The use of GNPs/Fe3O4 as a filler leads to significant decreases in the percolation limit φc, 0.97 vol% vs. 0.56 vol% for GNPs/UHMWPE- and (GNPs/Fe3O4)/UHMWPE segregated composite material (SCM), respectively. Modification of the GNP surface with Fe3O4 leads to an essential improvement in the electromagnetic interference shielding due to enhanced microwave absorption in the 26-37 GHz frequency range in its turn by abundant surface functional groups and lattice defects of GNPs/Fe3O4 nanoparticles.