Frequency dispersive complex permittivity and permeability of ferromagnetic metallic granular composite at microwave frequencies

We experimentally studied the frequency dependent complex permittivity ε and permeability μ of composite composed of carbonyl iron powder (CIP) and epoxy resin in the frequency range 1-18 GHz. We found that the intrinsic ε and μ of CIP extracted from the measured ε and μ of composites follow the classical Maxwell equations and the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation, respectively. The dependences of ε and μ of composites on the volume fraction of CIP (vfCIP) were investigated using the two-exponent phenomenological percolation equation (TEPPE). We found that the TEPPE can fit the experimental results very well. Comparing the results of percolation parameters derived by experimental data at different frequencies, we show that the TEPPE is frequency independent for the composites at microwave frequencies. The results also show that the ε and μ spectrums of composites with definite vfCIP can be correctly calculated by combining the TEPPE with the theoretical models of intrinsic ε and μ. - Highlights: → Study on frequency dispersive properties of carbonyl iron/resin composite at 1-18 GHz. → Intrinsic properties of carbonyl iron particles were extracted and analyzed. → Effective properties of the composite were correctly described by the Mclachlan formula. → The Mclachlan formula was proved to be invariable versus frequency for dispersion mediums.