Terahertz characterization of functional composite material based on ABS mixed with ceramic powder

Terahertz (THz) radiation is especially the frequency band that the developers of sixth-generation wireless communication networks aim to exploit. Thus, the research and development of relevant components have been an important issue. Studies have shown that ceramic materials demonstrate the properties of low optical loss and high refractive index when subjected to THz radiation. Furthermore, when a ceramic material is mixed into a polymeric material, it can effectively improve the latter’s mechanical strength. Therefore, in this study, we conducted heat treatment on the powders of four ceramic materials: Al2O3, SiO2, ZrSiO4, and quartz. Next, we respectively mixed each powder of the ceramic materials into each powder of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Then, we measured all the mixtures’ optic properties under THz radiation by observing their X-ray diffraction patterns. Measurement results indicated that SiO2 had a phase transition when it was calcined to 1100°C, and its optical coefficient also changed with the phase transition. After ABS was mixed with a ceramic material, the mixture’s effective refractive index increased as the mixture was subjected to THz radiation. Moreover, after ABS was mixed with Al2O3, quartz, heat-treated Al₂O₃, heat-treated quartz, and heat-treated SiO₂, the mixtures’ effective refractive index increased, and their absorption coefficients decreased. Therefore, mixing a specific ceramic material into ABS, a common polymer, can not only improve the mechanical performance of ABS but also give ABS fine optical properties such as an increased effective refractive index and a decreased absorption coefficient under THz radiation.