Reconfigurability in Electromagnetic Metasurfaces and Metamaterials for Antenna Systems: State-of-the-art technical approaches, limitations, and applications. [Electromagnetic Metamaterials]

In this article, we review some of the recent efforts and advancements in the implementation of reconfigurable metasurfaces and metamaterials tailored for antenna applications. Originally limited by fixed properties, these structures are increasingly integrated with different technologies to achieve real-time reconfigurability and versatility in response to evolving operational conditions and constraints. This work investigates the motivations and technical approaches driving this development, with a specific focus on reconfigurable metasurfaces designed for antenna systems operating within a wide portion of the microwave range from L-band (1–2GHz) to K-band (18–27GHz). By analyzing limitations and experimentally validated approaches, the article offers a comprehensive exploration of the performance and limitations of common reconfigurability schemes in microwave metadevices.