Radomes were invented to protect sensitive antenna systems from the disturbing environment. Estimation of their permittivity is a vital step for their design. This project studies the free- space method to measure the permittivity of radome materials. The free space method has the advantages of non-contacting and free-of-reshaping, which are suitable for sheet-shape samples. In this method, the sample is placed between two antennas, and the permitivity of the material is determined based on the S-parameters between the two antennas. To avoid the influence of energy diffraction at the edges of samples, a near field focus(NFF) antenna is used. NFF antennas have their focal point in the near field. Consequently, the energy diffraction at the edges is reduced if the sample is placed at the focal point of the NFF antenna. The measurement results are processed with the genetic algorithm. This method starts from a group of assumption values of permittivity. An optimal value is obtained after multiple iterations. Compared with the results from a cavity resonant method provided in the datasheet of the materials, the free space setup in this thesis measurement provides an average 2.80% error in permittivity, and an average 34.14% error in loss tangent. Therefore, the genetic algorithm is suitable for this free space setup. The error of this thesis measurement is affected by several factors, such as thickness value error and inaccurate operation. / Radom används för att skydda känsliga antennsystem från omgivningen. Det är viktigt att estimera permittiviteten av radom innan de designas. Med korrekt permittivitet kan radomets inverkan på systemet räknas ut. I det här projektet används en fri-rymdsmetod för att mäta permittivitet. Fri-rymdsmetoden har fördelarna av att vara kontaktfri och icke-invasiv, vilket gör den lämplig för permittivitetmätning av materialskivor. Med den här metoden placeras en materialskiva mellan två antenner. Permittiviteten kan beräknas från S-parametrarna mellan antennerna. För att undvika diffraktion från kanten av materialskivan används närfältsfokuserade (NFF) antenner i fri-rymdsmetoden. NFF antenner har en fokalpunkt i närfältet. Kantdiffraktionen minskas om materialskivan placeras i fokalpunkten av NFF antennen. Mätningarna efterbehandlas med en genetisk algoritm (GA). Denna metod gissar värden på permittiviteten. Ett optimalt värde räknas fram iterativt. Jämfört med specificerad permittivitet från tillverkaren skiljer sig fri-rymdsmätningarna i denna avhandling i medeltal 2.8% i realdelen för den relativa permittiviteten och 34.14% i förlusttangent. Felet i mätningen påverkas av flera faktorer, som fel i mätningen av materialskivans tjocklek och fel i mätuppställningen.

Las emulsiones del tipo agua en aceite (w/o) y aceite en agua (o/w) están compuestas por una mezcla de aceite, agua, lodo y otros agentes. Se pueden encontrar en el proceso y/o en los vertidos de diferentes tipos de industrias, tales como refinerías de petróleo, plantas procesadoras de aceite de consumo, industrias farmacéuticas, industrias de alimentos, etc. El calentamiento de un material a una frecuencia de microondas depende de la frecuencia de la onda electromagnética y de las propiedades dieléctricas, así como de la acumulación de energía interna que va ligada a la profundidad de penetración del campo dentro del material. De este modo, el conocimiento preciso de las propiedades dieléctricas de los materiales es fundamental para conocer su comportamiento bajo la influencia de un campo electromagnético. El objetivo general de esta tesis es proponer métodos alternativos basados en la tecnología de microondas para monitorizar, caracterizar y/o separar emulsiones. Para ello, se determinaron los protocolos de preparación de emulsiones prototipo en el laboratorio, empleando dos fases distintas (ácido oleico y aceite mineral SAE 40), de composición similar a las encontradas en la industria. Paralelamente se ha seleccionado, montando y calibrando un sistema de medida de propiedades dieléctricas en un rango de frecuencias de 1 a 4 GHz (rango cercano a la frecuencia estándar de calentamiento f =2.45 GHz) y de esta manera se ha obtenido un amplio espectro de información del comportamiento dieléctrico de las emulsiones, que servirán para diseñar en una fase posterior aplicadores de microondas. En base a este estudio preliminar se planteó una experiencia piloto con emulsiones reales presentes en el proceso de extracción de aceite de palma africana, con el fin de determinar el efecto de las microondas en la separación y en la calidad del aceite recuperado. / Pérez Páez, R. (2009). Aplicación de microondas en el tratamiento de emulsiones del tipo agua en aceite (w/o) y aceite en agua (o/w) [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/4328

<p dir="ltr">The primary goal of this work is to gain a fundamental understanding on how growth conditions affect the morphology and crystallography orientation of CeO₂/Au vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) thin films. Focus has been placed on how the changes in morphology and crystallography translate to tunable optical properties. The morphological effects have been observed and analyzed via two main approaches: the change in morphology was observed at multiple points along the film thickness, and the morphology at the film/substrate interface has been analyzed with respect to total film thickness. The changes in Au crystallography orientations have been observed by measuring peak shift in XRD patterns and determining the resulting in- and out-of-plane strain. To observe additional effects of this morphology change, optical measurements have been taken for films at the bottom, middle, and top of the thickness range. Strong trends in transmittance, plasmonic absorption peak shifts and hyperbolic permittivity behavior are correlated with the film thickness. This tunability of optical properties likely arises from changes in both Au pillar phase morphology and crystal orientation. These findings demonstrate that changing film thickness may be a desirable method to easily tune the morphology and optical properties of VAN thin films.</p>

Im Rahmen der Dissertation wurde ein Messsystem für die Bestimmung der komplexen Permittivität von inhomogenen Stoffen bei hohen Temperaturen entwickelt, gebaut und getestet. Die Messungen des Realteils sind wenig von Störungen betroffen, Messungen des Imaginärteils unterliegen Messschwankungen bis zu 20 %. Der Effekt nimmt mit steigendem Imaginärteil ε'' ab. Der Einfluss verschiedener Messsystemkomponenten wurde untersucht, darunter der Einfluss eines Wärmestrahlungsschutzes, der Probenposition und der Messauflösung des verwendeten Vektornetzwerkanalysators. Alle Fehlerquellen wurden als hinreichend klein bewertet. Anschließend wurden verschiedene Feuerfestmaterialien aus der Glasindustrie und ein beispielhaftes Glasgemenge untersucht und die Ergebnisse mit Mikrowellenerwärmungsversuchen verglichen. Eine qualitative Übereinstimmung konnte nachgewiesen werden. Abschließend wurden Empfehlungen für die Konstruktion von mikrowellengestützten Glasschmelzaggregaten gegeben.

No description available.

Au niveau industriel, les capteurs électriques de mesure de la teneur en eau dans les solides sont généralement mono fréquentiel. La fréquence de fonctionnement est choisie arbitrairement. Par contre, la sensibilité de la teneur en eau dépend du type de matériau et des liaisons d’eau existantes. D’une part, la fréquence de relaxation diélectrique de l’eau à l’état liquide est située dans la bande des Micro-ondes. D’autre part, la fréquence de relaxation diélectrique de l’eau liée dépend du matériau mais elle est dans la bande des Radiofréquences. En se basant sur cette hypothèse, le but de cette thèse consiste à analyser la sensibilité fréquentielle vis-à-vis les liaisons d’eau dans les solides en utilisant comme un paramètre intermédiaire la permittivité diélectrique complexe. La première partie du travail a eu pour objectif de valider deux cellules de mesure de type capacitive et coaxiale développées au CETIAT pour mesurer les caractéristiques diélectriques. Les deux cellules de mesure ont été validées pour mesurer la permittivité diélectrique complexe des liquides, solides et des produits humides dans la bande [1 MHz – 2 GHz] et une comparaison avec l’outil EpsiMu® développé par l’Institut Fresnel a été réalisée.En deuxième phase, nous étudions expérimentalement des matériaux humides en couplant la caractérisation électromagnétique avec la méthode thermo-coulométrique qui permet de mesurer et de distinguer sélectivement les liaisons d’eau existante dans un solide.À l’issue de cette phase, une étude paramétrique sur les spectres diélectriques complexes a été réalisée pour identifier des sensibilités par rapport aux fractions d’eau existantes. / This thesis is part of a European research project called METfnet (Metrology for Moisture in Solids).In industry, the electrical sensors for measuring the water content in the solids are generally mono-frequency and the operating frequency is chosen arbitrarily.The sensitivity to the water content depends on the type of material and the existing water bounds. On the one hand, the dielectric relaxation frequency of water in the liquid state is located in the microwave band. On the other hand, the dielectric relaxation frequency of the bound water depends on the material, but it is known that it’s situated in the radio frequency band.Based on this hypothesis, the aim of this thesis is to analyze the frequency sensitivity with respect to water bonds in solids by using as an intermediate parameter the complex dielectric permittivity.In the first phase of the work, we validate metrologically two instruments: capacitive and coaxial, both of them are developed at CETIAT for measuring the dielectric constant. The two measuring cells were validated to measure the complex dielectric permittivity of liquids, solids and wet products in the [1 MHz - 2 GHz] band and a comparison with the EpsiMu® tool developed by the Fresnel Institute was carried out. In the second phase, we experimentally study wet materials by coupling electromagnetic characterization with the thermo-coulometric method, which selectively measures and distinguishes existing water bounding forms in a solid.At the end of this phase, a parametric study on the complex dielectric spectrum was carried out to lead to the identification of sensitivities with respect to the existing water fractions.

Les recherches que nous présentons dans ce mémoire s'inscrivent dans le cadre du développement de nouvelles structures et de l'étude de matériaux accordables en vue d'une intégration industrielle comme radôme actif.Plus particulièrement, ils consistent en la réalisation d'un dispositif micro-onde permettant à la fois un filtrage et une agilité fréquentiels en espace libre. Des structures basées sur des surfaces sélectives en fréquences, pour l'aspect filtrage, et sur des matériaux de type ferroélectrique, pour l'aspect accordabilité, sont développées. Des modélisations et des simulations électromagnétiques montrent que le changement de permittivité du matériau, obtenu par application d'un champ électrique externe, permet le pilotage fréquentiel de la transmission de la structure. Une mise en oeuvre expérimentale complète ces travaux, au cours de laquelle des prototypes ont été fabriqués par des techniques de photolithographie, puis caractérisés en espace libre grâce à un banc ABmm. Les mesures micro-ondes valident ainsi les résultats de simulations menées en amont et montrent les possibilités de contrôler la fréquence de transmission du radôme. / The research we present in this memory registers within the framework to develop new structures and to study tunable materials for an industrial integration as an active radome. Specifically, they consist of achieving a free space microwave device for both a filtering behaviour and a frequency agility behaviour. Structures based on frequency selective surfaces, for the filtering aspect, and on ferroelectric materials for the tuning aspect, are developed. Modeling and simulations show that the change of the material permittivity, obtained by applying an external electric field, enable piloting the transmission frequency of the structure. An experimental implementation complete this work and prototypes have been fabricated by photolithography techniques and then characterized in free space with a bench ABmm. Thus, microwave measurements validate the results of simulations and show the possibility to control the frequency transmission of the radome.

I have worked on many projects, but there are several things that they all had in common. First, nearly all projects involved searching for the structural parameters that governed the macroscopic properties of the polymers and composite materials. A second common denominator is that even though my work was performed in an “academic context”, the goals were targeted toward industrial needs. Lastly, the methods and procedures were similar; they were all based on experimental results obtained for various scales of measurement (see Fig. 1). Hence, multi-scale modeling was very useful and beneficial for these projects. The models developed (mainly numerical and sometimes analytical) were initially derived from experimental evidence and then validated and improved with further experimentation. The refined models provided an efficient means of: (i) optimizing the composites according to specific needs, (ii) better understanding the hierarchical relations between the different scales, (iii) controlling the micro or meso structure and thereby the macroscopic properties. This study of the relations between structure and properties was performed on a wide variety of physical properties and materials. However, the electric and dielectric properties of composites constituted the major- ity of it and will be presented in this report. The remaining property investigations provided supplemental but valuable information. This work often requires altering various conventional experimental techniques or using well-known techniques for new purposes. I also developed, when needed, several unconventional but necessary measurement techniques. This report contains two major parts which are separated according to the nature of the fillers: Part I : Conducting fillers. In the first part, the main interest both for application and fundamental point of view, is related to the changes in properties in the vicinity of the sharp percolation transition. After a brief introduction to the percolation theory, this part will be subdivided in three chapters: Chapter 1. presents a numerical method that correlates the mesostructure to the macroscopic electrical properties both in two and three dimensions. Chapter 2. will show that an external variable (the mechanical stress) may largely alter the microstruc- ture of the percolating network within composites as revealed the macroscopic conductivity. The understanding of the mesoscale changes will be based on the chemical structure of the polymer matrix. Chapter 3. is devoted to the description of a unique case in term of percolation behavior, which made possible the control of the phase arrangement within the composite and thereby the control of the macroscopic resistivity. p. 2 Multiscale relationships in polymer–based heterogeneous systems. . . Part II : Insulating fillers. In the second part, the main interest is to obtain good electrical insulators, i.e. that can withstand large electric fields. This part thus starts with a brief introduction to the common failure mechanisms, associated with the dielectric breakdown and is also divided in three chapters: Chapter 4. is devoted to the description of a numerical simulation of the relationships between mesostructure and dielectric breakdown. Chapter 5. reveals the influence of the processing conditions of a composite utilized in the industry on the microstructure and the quantitative consequences on breakdown properties. Chapter 6. presents the aging of these composites under “real word” conditions which will further be compared to accelerated aging performed in controlled conditions, in the laboratory. A comparison of the two aging situations will furnish a quantitative understanding of the relative influence of the chemical and physical contributions to the aging process. This report will then be concluded with a description of the current and future projects.

Frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) provide a variety of spatial filtering functions, such as band-pass or band-stop properties in a radome or other multilayer structure. This filtering is typically achieved through closely-spaced periodic arrangements of metallic shapes on top of a dielectric substrate (or within a stack of dielectric materials). In most cases, the unit cell size, its shape, the substrate parameters, and the inter-element spacing collectively impact the response of the FSS. Expanding this design space to include reconfigurable FSSs provides opportunities for applications requiring frequency agility and/or other properties. Tuning can also enable operation over a potentially wider range of frequencies and can in some cases be used as a loading mechanism or quasi-ground plane. Many technologies have been considered for this type of agility (RF MEMS, PIN diodes, etc.). This includes the recent use of microfluidics and dispersions of nanoparticles, or fluids with controllable dielectrics, which have entered the design space of numerous other EM applications including stub-tuners, antennas, and filters. In this work they provide a material based approach to reconfiguring an FSS. An FSS based on a four-arm spiral with tunable band-stop characteristics is presented in this work. A thin colloidal dispersion above each element provides this tuning capability. The radial expansion and contraction of this dispersion, as well as the variable permittivity of the dispersion, are used to load each element individually. This design incorporates thin fluidic channels within a PDMS layer below the substrate leading to individual unit cells that provide a closed pressure-driven subsystem that contains the dispersion. With the capability to individually control each cell, groups of cells can be locally altered (individually or in groups) to create gratings and other electromagnetically agile features across the surface or within the volume of a radome or other covering. Simulations and measurements of an S-band tunable design using colloidal Barium Strontium Titanate dispersed Silicone oil are provided to demonstrate the capability to adjust the stop-band characteristics of the FSS across the S-band.

Composite metamaterials are periodic metal-dielectric structures operating at wavelengths larger than the structure period. If properly designed these structures behave as homogeneous media described by effective permittivity and permeability parameters. These effective parameters can be designed to take values in domains that are not available in naturally occurring media; notably it is possible to design composite metamaterials with simultaneously negative permittivity and permeability, or, in other words, with a negative refractive index. However, in many experimental or numerical studies it is far from obvious that the use of a homogeneous model is justified for a given structure at a given wavelength. This issue is often glossed over in the literature. <br />In this work I take a detailed look at the fundamental assumptions on which effective medium models rely and put forward a method for determining frequency domains where a given structure may or may not be accurately described by homogeneous effective medium parameters. This work opens the door to a more detailed understanding of the transition between homogeneous and inhomogeneous behavior in composite metamaterials, in particular by introducing the novel notions of custom made effective medium model, and of meta-photonic crystal.