Carbon-Coated Nickel Nanoparticles: Effect on the Magnetic and Electric Properties of Composite Materials

Nickel nanoparticles coated with few layers of carbon have been embedded into the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix in concentrations up to 11 vol %. Dielectric and magnetic properties of composite materials have been studied in wide frequency (20 Hz-1 MHz) and temperature (130-430 K) ranges. It was demonstrated that the temperature behavior of dielectric properties is determined by glass transitions in the PDSM matrix below 200 K and the Maxwell-Wagner relaxation above room temperature. The possibility of using fabricated composites on the basis of the PDMS matrix for producing a wide range of passive electromagnetic components, such as frequency-selective filters, wide-band detectors/sensors of a bolometric type, and even electromagnetic black holes is also discussed.