Complex permittivity of vermiculite at L- Band upper frequencies

The absorption of microwave energy by different materials e.g. rocks, soils and minerals is highly dependent on their dielectric properties. For the design of microwave cavities to process materials using microwaves a detailed knowledge of the response of the material to microwave radiation is required. This response is mainly influenced by the complex permittivity of the material under test. The aim of this work is the determination of the complex permittivity of vermiculite in the frequency range from 1.6 GHz to 2.0GHz. The transmission line method was used. After measuring the S-parameters, the values for the complex permittivity of vermiculite were determined using a code developed in MATLAB based on the Nicholson-Ross-Weir method.