Printable all-dielectric water-based absorber

The phase interplay between overlapping electric and magnetic dipoles of equal amplitude generated by exclusively alldielectric structures presents an intriguing paradigm in the manipulation of electromagnetic energy. Here, we offer a holistic implementation by proposing an additive manufacturing route and associated design principles that enable the programming and fabrication of synthetic multi-material microstructures. In turn, we compose, manufacture and experimentally validate the first demonstrable 3d printed all-dielectric electromagnetic broadband absorbers that point the way to circumventing the technical limitations of conventional metal-dielectric absorber configurations. One of the key innovations is to judicially distribute a dispersive soft matter with a high-dielectric constant, such as water, in a low-dielectric matrix to enhance wave absorption at a reduced length scale. In part, these results extend the promise of additive manufacturing and illustrate the power of topology optimisation to create carefully crafted magnetic and electric responses that are sure to find new applications across the electromagnetic spectrum.