Metamaterials deliver electromagnetic properties that are not available in natural materials, and researchers at Imperial College London have helped establish the fundamental research characterising different metamaterials that has then been translated into industry

Our research has underpinned the powerful applications of these metamaterials in optical, medical, aerospace and communications industries (particularly in next-generation 5G products). The revenues of such disruptive products have now exceeded $500m globally, and have contributed to a global market valued in the billions of dollars.

Unique electromagnetic properties

John Pendry (Department of Physics) and his colleagues have helped establish many unique electromagnetic characteristics that metamaterials possess. Pendry showed that the electromagnetic properties of materials are as much influenced by their structure as by their chemical composition. As a result, it’s possible to manipulate a material’s electrical and magnetic properties by changing without having to shift into using rare or expensive materials. By using composite materials that are manufactured in repeating patterns at different scales, researchers can gain access to a range of hitherto unknown properties. These properties allow the control of electromagnetic fields beyond natural materials, creating the new field now described as ‘metamaterials’.

Research enabled phenomena like negative refraction to be realised in real applications after first being postulated in 1968. Negative refraction allows scientists to build a lens whose resolution is not limited by the wavelength of light – which means it’d be possible to focus light with a completely flat lens.

Pendry also contributed greatly to the field of transformation optics, where metamaterials can direct and control specific wavelengths of light. From thermal control to invisibility cloaks, transformation optics has already generated huge commercial applications. Pendry himself is an inventor of more than 70 patents in metamaterials.