Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Using Metamaterials and Metasurfaces

In this invited talk/paper, we review and explore the use of metamaterials and metasurfaces for wireless power transfer (WPT) and wireless energy harvesting (WEH) which are two closely related hot topics. The focus is on how to improve the energy conversion efficiency of both systems. It is shown that metamaterials and metasurfaces can indeed achieve a higher RF to DC energy conversion efficiency and operational distance by changing the electromagnetic fields between the transmitter and receiver, and/or making their reception less sensitive to incident wave angle and polarization. They can also be used as either parasitic elements or loading components to improve WEH performance.