Work

Optically Transparent Metamaterial Absorber for Shielding Mechanism Conversion of Satellite Solar Panel

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Satellite solar panel inherently produce strong radar echoes and cause secondary electromagnetic pollution due to their highly reflective nature. To solve this, an optically transparent metamaterial absorber (OTMMA) is constructed using the solar panel as the substrate. The proposed multilayer structure consists of a patterned indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, a transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) spacer, and the solar panel itself. In the 8–18 GHz range, the design achieves over 90% absorptance while maintaining an average visible transmittance of approximately 73%. More importantly, the reflection shielding effectiveness (SER) is reduced from over 15 dB to below 3.01 dB, successfully shifting the shielding mechanism from reflection-dominated to absorption-dominated. Benefiting from this conversion, simulations under normal-incidence and x-polarized conditions demonstrate that the monostatic radar cross section (RCS) of a finite plate is significantly suppressed, achieving a reduction of more than 10 dB across the operating band, with a peak reduction of 20.43 dB at 10.7 GHz. This transforms satellite solar panel from a harmful “electromagnetic pollution source” (strong reflector) into a “functional surface for electromagnetic purification” (optically transparent metamaterial absorber).

Source: Materials

DOI: 10.3390/ma19214703

Author: Shuying Li

Institution: Jiangsu Second Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Antenna and Metasurface Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Jiangsu Second Normal University