With the multiplication of electronic devices in our daily life, there is a need for tailored wideband electromagnetic (EM) absorbers that could be conformed on any type of surface-like antennas for interference attenuation or military vehicles for stealth applications. In this study, a wideband flexible flat electromagnetic absorber compatible with additive manufacturing has been studied in the X-Ku frequency bands. A multilayer structure has been optimized using a genetic algorithm (GA), adapting the restrictions of additive manufacturing and exploiting the EM properties of loaded and non-loaded filaments, of which the elaboration is described. After optimization, a bi-material multilayer absorber with a thickness of 4.1 mm has been designed to provide a reflectivity below -12 dB between 8 and 18 GHz. Finally, the designed multilayer structure was 3D-printed and measured in an anechoic chamber, achieving -11.8 dB between 7 and 18 GHz. Thus, the development of dedicated materials has demonstrated the strong potential of additive technologies for the manufacturing of thin wideband flexible EM absorbers.
Keywords: 3D printing; EM characterization; electromagnetic multilayer absorber; filament making; genetic algorithm.