Tuning the Infrared Absorption of SiC Metasurfaces by Electrically Gating Monolayer Graphene with Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Dynamic Radiative Thermal Management and Sensing Applications

We experimentally demonstrate actively tunable infrared absorption based on graphene-covered SiC metasurfaces. A dry transfer method is employed to coat monolayer graphene on the metasurface characterized by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. A solid polymer electrolyte is introduced to tune the graphene chemical potential upon electrical gating. In situ optical measurement shows a shift in the absorption peak upon a change in gate voltage. Numerical simulations unveil that the tuning effect is attributed to the excitation of a magnetic polariton, whose resonance frequency changes with graphene chemical potential upon electrical gating. The reported results realize the possibility of tuning thermal radiative property of a graphene-covered metasurface through a solid polymer electrolyte, providing a new approach to fabricating graphene-based tunable infrared devices for dynamic radiative thermal management and sensing applications.