metamaterial
nounUK /ˌmetəˈmætɪəriəl/
US /ˌmetəˈmætɪriəl/
A special made-up material that is built in a clever way so it can do unusual things that normal materials cannot do.
Scientists used a metamaterial to bend light around an object and make it seem invisible.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A material whose tiny internal structure is designed to give it properties not found in nature.
The metamaterial was engineered to have a negative refractive index.
3. In physics, a substance structured to control waves such as light or sound in unusual ways.
Acoustic metamaterials can block sound in ways ordinary walls cannot.
4. A laboratory-made structure treated as a single material for engineering purposes.
The team printed a metamaterial that is both light and very strong.