Coupled Electromagnetic and Thermal Characterization of Bio-Inspired Frequency Selective Surfaces

This work presents the results of a computational study of the interaction of visible light and bio-inspired structures with the goal of understanding of the coupled electromagnetic and thermal phenomena in these structures. Seven nano-scale structures were created based on the structures found on the wing of Archaeoprepona meander (AM). Four geometries evaluated were inspired by the structures found on the blue section of the wing of AM while the remaining three by the structures found in the black section. The response of all seven structures to visible light was characterized using the electromagnetic software package Ansoft HFSS. Using the electromagnetic fields determined from HFSS, the thermal response of the structures was then evaluated using the Ansoft Fluent package. The temperature profiles in each of the seven bio-inspired structures were determined after sixty seconds of exposure to monochromatic light. All geometries associated with the black section of the wing show higher absorption and more heating than the geometries tied to the blue section.