• Łukomska, Aneta
• Krupka, Jerzy
• Łoś, Przemyslaw
• Kowalska, Sylwia
• Jeziórska, Regina

Abstract

In the present paper a novel group ofelectromagnetic metamaterials as well as the method oftheir fabrication is presented. The studied metamaterialsare polymer composites and nanocomposites made ofpolymer matrix/host (EVA, polyethylene, polypropyleneetc.) filled with copper flakes of micrometer and/ornanometer size, as conducting inclusions. The copperfillers were obtained by cathodic current pulse electrolysisfrom copper sulfate electrolytes at the stainless steelelectrodes. The SEM studies showed that the morphologyand structure of copper deposit can be precisely controlledusing different kind of current pulse and reversed currentpulsed electrolysis. The polymer composite metamaterialsformed by extrusion of small beads of polymer mixedwith the copper flakes consisted of polymer matrix andcopper flakes of the size from 1 to 500 micrometers andthe thickness ranging from 80 nm to 2000 nm. Theconcentration of the copper flakes is from 0.5 wt.% to 40wt.% depending on the applications and requiredelectromagnetic and mechanical properties. The studiedmaterials were found to exhibit smaller than unityeffective magnetic permeability what indicate theproperties typical for metamaterials. Present developmentsolves technological and economical problems related tomodern microelectronics methods which are currentlymainly used to metamaterials fabrication.

Topics

• nanocomposite
• impedance spectroscopy
• polymer
• inclusion
• scanning electron microscopy
• extrusion
• copper
• permeability
• metamaterial