Metamaterials for Energy
The transition to secure, affordable and sustainable energy systems will require advances in energy generation, storage, transmission, efficiency and resource use. Metamaterials, metasurfaces and advanced functional materials offer new ways to control electromagnetic, thermal, acoustic and mechanical energy, creating opportunities to improve performance, reduce waste and support the global transition to net zero. Government and UKRI assessments highlight applications spanning solar energy, wireless power transfer, thermal management, energy-efficient computing and sustainable materials development.
Through the UK Metamaterials Network, organisations can access expertise, facilities and collaborators working across the energy value chain, from discovery and design through to manufacturing, scale-up and deployment.
A Sustainable Future: Two Sides of the Coin
Metamaterials can contribute to a sustainable future in two complementary ways.
Firstly, metamaterials can enable energy and environmental solutions. They can improve the efficiency, performance and resilience of technologies such as solar cells, batteries, hydrogen systems, wireless power transfer, smart grids, energy-efficient computing, thermal management systems and industrial processes. These innovations can help reduce energy consumption, improve resource efficiency and support the transition to net zero.
Secondly, metamaterials themselves must be sustainable. As metamaterial technologies move towards large-scale deployment, increasing emphasis is being placed on circular design, reuse, recyclability, low-carbon manufacturing and reduced dependence on scarce materials. Future metamaterials should not only improve sustainability in the systems they enable, but also minimise their own environmental footprint throughout their lifecycle.
The UK Metamaterials Network supports both sides of this challenge: developing metamaterials for sustainable energy systems while ensuring metamaterials themselves are sustainable and circular by design.
Applications and Opportunities
Solar, Renewable Energy and Photonic Energy Conversion
Metamaterials and nanophotonic structures can improve light absorption, light management and energy conversion, supporting higher-efficiency photovoltaic technologies and lower-cost solar energy systems. Future opportunities include advanced solar technologies, photonic energy conversion and space-based solar power.
Advanced Batteries, Energy Storage and Hydrogen
Novel materials, engineered interfaces and nanoscale architectures can improve the performance, efficiency and lifetime of batteries, capacitors and grid-scale storage technologies. Advanced nanoporous and catalytic materials can also support hydrogen generation, storage and conversion, helping enable future low-carbon energy systems.
Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Transmission
Metamaterial-enabled electromagnetic systems can improve the efficiency, range and practicality of wireless charging and power transfer technologies. Applications span consumer electronics, industrial systems, electric vehicles, robotics and remote infrastructure.
Industrial Efficiency, Waste Heat Recovery and Thermal Management
Materials engineered to control thermal and electrical transport can reduce energy losses, recover waste heat and improve industrial efficiency. Thermal metamaterials can also enable passive radiative cooling, advanced refrigeration systems, improved building efficiency and thermal management of batteries, electronics and energy infrastructure.
Smart Grids and Resilient Energy Infrastructure
Metamaterial-enabled sensing, communications and monitoring technologies can support predictive maintenance, intelligent grid operation and improved integration of renewable energy sources. These capabilities can help improve reliability, resilience and energy network performance.
Energy-Efficient Computing and Digital Infrastructure
As AI, data centres and communications networks continue to grow, reducing power consumption is becoming increasingly important. Photonic metamaterials and metasurfaces offer routes to low-power optical communications, signal processing and computing technologies that could significantly reduce future digital energy demand.
Electrification and Lightweight Energy Systems
Advanced multifunctional materials can improve performance in electric vehicles, aerospace, maritime technologies and wearable systems through reduced weight, improved thermal management and more efficient electrical systems. Metamaterials can help reduce size, weight and power requirements while increasing functionality.
Resource Efficiency, Circularity and Critical Materials
Metamaterials can help improve energy technologies while reducing dependence on scarce or strategically important materials. Opportunities include critical mineral replacement, improved catalysts, lower embodied carbon, circular design, material reuse and more sustainable manufacturing approaches.
Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Systems
Metamaterials can enhance the conversion of vibration, heat, motion, sound and ambient electromagnetic energy into electrical power, enabling self-powered sensors and autonomous monitoring systems for industrial facilities, infrastructure and remote environments.
Connecting Energy Challenges with UK Metamaterials Expertise
The Energy theme draws on expertise from across the UK Metamaterials Network’s Special Interest Groups and Challenge Areas. The Photonic Metamaterials SIG supports solar energy conversion, radiative cooling and energy-efficient optical technologies. The Microwave and THz Metamaterials SIG contributes to wireless power transfer and RF energy harvesting. The Acoustic Metamaterials SIG supports energy harvesting and industrial efficiency, while the Mechanical Metamaterials SIG enables lightweight multifunctional structures and sustainable engineering systems.
The Active Metamaterials SIG develops adaptive and reconfigurable materials for dynamic energy management, while the Theory, Modelling and AI SIG provides advanced design and optimisation tools. The theme aligns particularly strongly with the Sustainability Challenge Area, while also connecting to Manufacturing and Space & Aviation through scalable production, lightweight systems and advanced power technologies.
How the UK Metamaterials Network Can Help
The UK Metamaterials Network brings together expertise from academia, industry and government laboratories working across next-generation energy and sustainability technologies. The Network provides access to capabilities spanning photovoltaics, batteries, hydrogen systems, wireless power transfer, thermal management, smart infrastructure, sustainable manufacturing and advanced materials characterisation.
By connecting organisations with researchers, facilities and innovation partners, the Network helps identify opportunities, build collaborations and accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of metamaterial technologies that support a secure, affordable, circular and sustainable energy future.