Measurement and Numerical Simulation of Transmission and Reflection Characteristics of Recycled Hematite/OPEFB Fiber/Polycaprolactone Nanocomposites using Microstrip Line and Finite Element Method

Abstract

Recycled hematite/OPEFB fiber/polycaprolactone nanocomposites were fabricated for microwave absorbing applications in the 1 – 4 GHz range. The aim of the study was to compare the magnitudes of the measured and simulated transmission (S₂₁) and reflection (S₁₁) parameters of the nanocomposites using the microstrip line technique and the Finite Element Method (FEM), since accurate measurement of electromagnetic parameters is essential for assessing the attenuation performance of microwave absorbing materials. The FEM simulation was carried out on COMSOL Multiphysics® version 5.2 and was based on the geometry of the microstrip used for the measurements. The comparison showed that the FEM-simulated S₂₁ and S₁₁ profiles closely matched the measured by a mean relative error of 20.6 % for S₁₁ and 1.9 % for S₂₁, indicating a good agreement between both techniques. Hence, the microstrip technique for the measurement of transmission coefficient magnitudes provides a more reliable solution for characterizing the microwave absorption properties of the nanocomposites in the stated frequency range.