Nanoparticle-dispersed metamaterial sensors for adaptive coded aperture imaging applications

We propose tunable single-layer and multi-layer (periodic and with defect) structures comprising nanoparticle dispersed metamaterials in suitable hosts, including adaptive coded aperture constructs, for possible Adaptive Coded Aperture Imaging (ACAI) applications such as in microbolometry, pressure/temperature sensors, and directed energy transfer, over a wide frequency range, from visible to terahertz. These structures are easy to fabricate, are low-cost and tunable, and offer enhanced functionality, such as perfect absorption (in the case of bolometry) and low cross-talk (for sensors). Properties of the nanoparticle dispersed metamaterial are determined using effective medium theory.