Left-handed metacomposites containing carbon fibers and ferromagnetic microwires

Abstract

We investigate the microwave behavior of polymer-based metacomposites containing ferromagnetic microwires and carbon fibers. A notable transmission window is observed from the metacomposite containing 3mm spaced parallel microwire array in 1-7 GHz, verifying a left-handed behavior. In the hybrid metacomposites containing both parallel wires and carbon fibers, such transmission window is preserved with a much higher transmittance due to the improved impedance match and hence decreased reflection loss. The introducing of continuous carbon fibers leads to a remarkable anisotropic behavior: left-handed properties are turned on/off by rotating the electric excitation by 90 degrees. The proposed metacomposites are promising for microwave cloaking and sensing applications for aerospace-graded structural components.