Microwave permittivity and dielectric relaxation of a high surface area activated carbon

Carbonaceous materials are amenable to microwave heating to varying degrees. The primary indicator of susceptibility is the complex permittivity (epsilon(*)), of which, the real component correlates with polarization, and the imaginary term represents dielectric loss. For a given material, the complex permittivity is dependent upon both frequency and temperature. Here we report the complex permittivity of a high surface area coconut shell activated carbon which is commonly used in analytical chemistry and a wide variety of industrial separations. Associated polarization-relaxation phenomena are also characterized. Broadband measurements were made using a high temperature compatible open-ended coaxial dielectric probe at frequencies between 0.2 and 26 GHz, and across the temperature region between 24 degreesC and 191 degreesC.