Reconfigurable metasurfaces with mechanical actuations: towards flexible and tunable photonic devices

Abstract Flexible and tunable devices have, for decades, been the subject of many research areas, including, integrated systems, flexible electronics and photonics, which are calling for advanced properties of materials. Metasurfaces with designable optical properties have now been intensively studied for flexible photonic devices. Enabled by microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidic technologies, reconfigurable metasurfaces base on mechanical actuations offer new approaches for flexible and tunable devices. In this view, we introduce metasurfaces based on MEMS actuations, droplets arrays, flexible substrates and microfluidic systems together with their applications on flexible and tunable devices.