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Enhanced Sensitivity of 3D-printed Terahertz Metamaterials with a Vertical Gap Structure for Single Microplastic Particle Detection

2025 Score: 38 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Hwan Sik Kim, Chi Him Liu, Andre Sarker Andy, Riccardo Degl’Innocenti, Akram Alomainy, Y. H. Ahn, Mira Naftaly, J. E. Cunningham, Sae June Park

Summary

Researchers demonstrated detection of single microplastic particles using 3D-printed terahertz metamaterials featuring a vertical gap structure that enhances dielectric sensitivity and concentrates electric fields more effectively than conventional 2D and 3D designs. The vertical gap configuration produced the largest resonance shift, enabling detection of individual microplastic particles at high sensitivity.

We demonstrate detection of single microplastic particle using 3D-printed terahertz metamaterials with a vertical gap structure. These 3D metamaterials show higher dielectric sensitivity and enhanced electric field concentration compared to conventional 2D and 3D metamaterials without a vertical gap. Simulation results show that these 3D metamaterials with a vertical gap exhibit the largest resonant frequency shift, indicating their superior detection performance.

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