Study of dielectric constants of binary composites at microwave frequency by mixture laws derived from three basic particle shapes

Powder mixture rules derived from the filler particles with the shapes of sphere, cylinder or rod, and lamella or disk with random distributions are studied in this paper. Three ceramic powders of fillers with dielectric constants of 10, 20, and 36, respectively, are adopted. The experimental dielectric constants of ceramic dispersions in the polyethylene matrix at microwave frequency are compared to those obtained by using different mixing laws. The mixing rules are also adopted to estimate the dielectric constants of pure ceramics from the measured dielectric constants of composites with various concentrations. The theory for the error of estimation is studied. In contrast to the traditional concept of obtaining the best curve fitting of mixture rule with the experimental data, this study conclude a very important concept on the powder mixture rule, that is, the most adequate mixture law for estimating the dielectric constants of pure ceramics requires both good curve fitting and potential of less error.