Structural magnetic loss of vertical aligned carbon fibres

The electromagnetic spectroscopy of vertical aligned carbon fibres (VACF) reinforced epoxy resin has been performed in the frequency range from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. The composite was prepared by conventional epoxy polymerization. The results indicate VACF could possess magnetic loss and the structural magnetic properties could be tailored by adjusting the forest structure. The corresponding mechanism of the structural magnetic properties is proposed by the Faradays' law of induction. The structural magnetism is further confirmed by measuring VACF reinforced Al2O3 composites in 1073 K environment. The measurement agrees well with the trend predicted by the parallel fibres model. These results represent a crucial step towards high temperature microwave absorber design and open a new avenue for realizing magnetic losses in the dielectric material. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.