A multitude of recent work predicts many novel concepts based on the availability of non-natural materials; some prominent examples include transformation optics (TO) and perfect lens. The interest in this eld has grown dramatically due to spec- ulated possibility to allow for continuously varying material properties to steer the incident wave at will, such as for the TO. The posed challenges for their realisation include the limitations of numerical modelling and manufacturing techniques. A de- sign scheme has been proposed, in this thesis, for composite materials: the desired electromagnetic properties of composites can be engineered by judiciously varying the volume fraction of the inclusion-to-host materials, by manipulating the geomet- ric arrangement of inclusions, or by altering their dielectric contrast. The analysis of the homogenised response of the designed materials at macro-scale requires effective medium modelling techniques. The existing effective medium approximation tech- niques have been discussed, and their pros and cons outlined. A homogenization scheme has been introduced that is based on the interaction of the incident wave and the nanoparticles at the micro-scale, which further requires efficient electromagnetic modelling. The conventional nanoparticle modelling techniques, as well as the state of the art, have been reviewed and a dipole-moment-based method to efficiently solve modern nanoparticle-based electromagnetic problems has been outlined. The appli- cability of the proposed scheme has been demonstrated by employing it to design various EM devices. An improved permittivity extraction scheme has been proposed for the homogenization of composites. Unlike classical homogenization schemes, the extracted parameters, using the proposed technique, follow the relation between the real and imaginary parts, that is, Kramers-Kronig relations. Several random and periodic structures have been simulated for the purpose of extracting the ef- fective electromagnetic properties and interpreting the results so as to establish a connection between them.

Este projeto artístico equivalente à dissertação para o mestrado em poéticas visuais é composto pela documentação do processo criativo, que é em si o mestrado em poéticas visuais, e por uma pequena seleção de fotogravuras originais da série \'Pequeno Compêndio dos Mares\'. A documentação consiste em três partes: primeira, registro de obras e exposições já realizadas e obras em processo; segunda, notas visuais e de texto; e última, uma seleção de trabalhos precedentes ao período do mestrado. A organização desta documentação do processo artístico foi feita priorizando o conjunto das imagens e considerando a linguagem visual como uma linguagem diversa e do mesmo valor da verbal, pois que assim como a palavra, o visual opera através de raciocínios intelectuais e sensíveis - e pode estar na universidade sendo debatido por artistas que trabalham com esta linguagem, medido dentro das particularidades da visualidade. Portanto apresento o registro e as obras materializadas como parte de um processo onde reflexão e fazer são o mesmo ato criativo e cuja complexidade intelectual existe desvinculada da necessidade da articulação pela palavra e independente de uma tese pré-formulada verbalmente, os textos aqui cumprem outra função: relacionam interesses, técnicas e influências temáticas de outras áreas do conhecimento. / This artistic project, equivalent to the Master dissertation in visual arts, is composed by the documentation of the creative process, which is itself the Master degree in Visual Arts, as well as a small selection of photoengraving originals entitled \"Small Compendium of the Seas\". The documentation consists in three parts: first, art works and record of past exhibits and works in progress; second, visual and text notes; and last, selection of works preceding the period of Masters in Visual Arts. The organization of the documentation of the artistic process was made by prioritizing the body of work and considering the visual language as a diverse language but with the same legitimacy of verbal language, as well to the word, the visual knowledge operates through intellectual and sensible reasoning - and may be in the university being debated by artists who work with this language, measured within the particularities of visuality. Therefore I present the record and the materialized art works as part of a process where thinking and doing are the same creative act and in which intellectual complexity exists detached from the necessity of articulating word and independent of a pre-formulated verbal thesis, the texts here have another function: related interests, techniques and thematic influences from other areas of knowledge.

Este projeto artístico equivalente à dissertação para o mestrado em poéticas visuais é composto pela documentação do processo criativo, que é em si o mestrado em poéticas visuais, e por uma pequena seleção de fotogravuras originais da série \'Pequeno Compêndio dos Mares\'. A documentação consiste em três partes: primeira, registro de obras e exposições já realizadas e obras em processo; segunda, notas visuais e de texto; e última, uma seleção de trabalhos precedentes ao período do mestrado. A organização desta documentação do processo artístico foi feita priorizando o conjunto das imagens e considerando a linguagem visual como uma linguagem diversa e do mesmo valor da verbal, pois que assim como a palavra, o visual opera através de raciocínios intelectuais e sensíveis - e pode estar na universidade sendo debatido por artistas que trabalham com esta linguagem, medido dentro das particularidades da visualidade. Portanto apresento o registro e as obras materializadas como parte de um processo onde reflexão e fazer são o mesmo ato criativo e cuja complexidade intelectual existe desvinculada da necessidade da articulação pela palavra e independente de uma tese pré-formulada verbalmente, os textos aqui cumprem outra função: relacionam interesses, técnicas e influências temáticas de outras áreas do conhecimento. / This artistic project, equivalent to the Master dissertation in visual arts, is composed by the documentation of the creative process, which is itself the Master degree in Visual Arts, as well as a small selection of photoengraving originals entitled \"Small Compendium of the Seas\". The documentation consists in three parts: first, art works and record of past exhibits and works in progress; second, visual and text notes; and last, selection of works preceding the period of Masters in Visual Arts. The organization of the documentation of the artistic process was made by prioritizing the body of work and considering the visual language as a diverse language but with the same legitimacy of verbal language, as well to the word, the visual knowledge operates through intellectual and sensible reasoning - and may be in the university being debated by artists who work with this language, measured within the particularities of visuality. Therefore I present the record and the materialized art works as part of a process where thinking and doing are the same creative act and in which intellectual complexity exists detached from the necessity of articulating word and independent of a pre-formulated verbal thesis, the texts here have another function: related interests, techniques and thematic influences from other areas of knowledge.

Relicário [a natureza da natureza] é o corpo de trabalhos artísticos aqui reunidos sob esta forma coesa. Esta tesecompêndio inclui realizar o trabalho em si mesmo, tanto quanto pensar formas de registrar e documentar organizadamente o processo criativo, bem como o trabalho finalizado com suas inter-relações e desdobramentos. Esta organização visual busca compartilhar a percepção do artista visual durante o desenvolvimento de seus processos criativos e de pesquisa, tornando evidente e valorizando a complexidade intelectual desta área do conhecimento humano: a linguagem visual. A tese é uma colagem não linear, premissa necessária para refletir a coesão e a multiplicidade simultânea e circular do pensamento visual. / Reliquary [the nature of nature] is the body of artistic works gathered here in this cohesive form, where seeing, doing and thinking are faces of the same creative act. This thesiscompendium includes performing the work itself, as well as thinking of ways to record and document the creative process and the work finalized with their interrelationships and unfolding. This visual organization seeks to share the perception of the visual artist during the development of her creative and research processes, making evident and valuing the intellectual complexity of this area of human knowledge: visual language. The thesis is a non-linear collage, a necessary premise to reflect the cohesion and the simultaneous and circular multiplicity of visual thinking.

Presented master's thesis is focused on studying electroinsulating epoxy resin-based sealings. It describes the chemical composition, production, properties and measuring methods of basic electric quantities of these materials. The aim of the thesis is to compare several sets of samples of composite epoxy resins with different kinds of micro-ground siliceous sand as a filling. The temperature and frequency dependence of relative permittivity, dissipation factor and inner resistivity are measured for given samples.