By incorporating the properties of graphene, researchers have created artificial structures that can be used to control and manipulate electromagnetic radiation over a wide range of wavelengths, according to a study released Friday by the University of Exeter.

A team of international scientists, led by Professor Geoff Nash from the University of Exeter, have engineered a remarkable new hybrid structure, or metamaterial, that possesses specific characteristics that are not found in natural materials.

The collaborative team combined nano-ribbons of graphene, in which electrons are able to oscillate backwards and forwards, together with a type of antenna called a split ring resonator, according to the study.

Careful design of these two elements leads to a system which strongly interacts with electromagnetic radiation, researchers said. In these experiments, the team used light with very long wavelengths, far beyond what the human eye can see, to show that these new structure can be used as a type of optical switch to interrupt, and turn on and off, a beam of this light very quickly.

"In these novel results we demonstrate a new type of structure which can be used not only as an exciting test bed to explore the underlying new science, but that could form the basis of a range of technologically important components," said Prof. Nash.

The research was carried out as part of an EU project, which aims to develop an entirely new laser source for applications such as gas sensing. Endit

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