Artificial dielectrics of conductive fibers in polymers: Effects of viscosity and matrix composition on permittivity and loss

We report the microwave dielectric properties of composites made of nickel-coated graphite fibers in two different types of silicone polymers. The influence of matrix viscosity on the fiber alignment, fiber filamentation in the composites, and how those affect the permittivity and loss tangent of the composite are discussed. The dependence of the permittivity and loss of the composites on the permittivity and loss of the matrix will also be compared.