The efiect of magnetic bias on dielectric spectra of composite sheets fllled with Fe or Co-based microwires is studied experimentally and via simulation. The permittivity is measured using a free-space technique within the frequency band from 6 to 12GHz. The bias is applied either parallel or perpendicular to the microwave electric fleld; the bias strength varies from 0 to 2.5kOe. The composites with Fe-based wires reveal a single region of bias dependent permittivity under bias about 800{1000Oe. The composites with Co- based wires reveal two such regions: the high-fleld region is close to that of composites with Fe wires, and the low-fleld region corresponds to the coercive fleld of Co wires (2{3Oe). The high-fleld efiect is related to the dependence of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) parameters on bias; the low-fleld efiect is related to the rearrangement of the domain structure of Co-based wires. The interference of magnetoimpedance and dipole resonance is analyzed, revealing the efiects ofi wire length, diameter, parameters of magnetic resonance and composite structure. The results are considered in view of application to the problem of controlled microwave attenuation. Simulation shows that the narrower is the FMR spectrum and the higher is the admissible loss of a sheet in a transparent state, the wider is the dynamic range of attenuation control. The attenuation range of a lattice of continuous wires is smaller than that of a screen with identical wire sections, where the magnetoimpedance efiect is amplifled resonantly. At 15GHz frequency the strength of the bias switching opaque sheet with Fe-based wires to the transparent state is about 2000Oe. For 3dB admissible loss, the range of attenuation control about 10dB is feasible in a composite with aligned wire sections. If the aligned sections are distributed regularly, the loss in a transparent state is about 1dB lower.

Protective SiO₂ coating deposited to iron microparticles is highly demanded both for the chemical and magnetic performance of the latter. Hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane is the crucial method for SiO₂ deposition from a solution. The capabilities of this technique have not been thoroughly studied yet. Here, two factors were tested to affect the chemical composition and the thickness of the SiO₂ shell. It was found that an increase in the hydrolysis reaction time thickened the SiO₂ shell from 100 to 200 nm. Moreover, a decrease in the acidity of the reaction mixture not only thickened the shell but also varied the chemical composition from SiO_3.0 to SiO_8.6. The thickness and composition of the dielectric layer were studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Microwave permeability and permittivity of the SiO₂-coated iron particles mixed with a paraffin wax matrix were measured by the coaxial line technique. An increase in thickness of the silica layer decreased the real quasi-static permittivity. The changes observed were shown to agree with the Maxwell Garnett effective medium theory. The new method developed to fine-tune the chemical properties of the protective SiO₂ shell may be helpful for new magnetic biosensor designs as it allows for biocompatibility adjustment.

The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra of thin metallic films obtained by magnetron deposition on polymeric and ceramic substrates are investigated in the strip line at frequencies of 0.13–12 GHz via frequency and external magnetic field sweeping. The influence of mechanical stresses on the FMR spectra of films deposited on an elastic (polyethylene rephthalate) substrate is discussed. The magnetostriction contribution to the anisotropy field of a film, as well as the influence of tensile stresses on the quasi-static permeability and FMR frequency, is estimated. It is demonstrated that the microwave properties of a thin metallic film are also specified by the properties of the substrate with such a film. A distinction in the magnetic properties of films with the same composition, which are deposited on different substrates, is explained in terms of the magnetostriction effect.

The technique to retrieve the microwave permeability of metals from the measured constitutive parameters of composites with fine powder of these metals is developed. The technique is based on the modified Sihvola mixing rule and describes a wide range of contrasts in the component susceptibility, accounts for both the inclusion shape and the percolation threshold. These parameters are related to the Bergman-Milton shape-distribution width and to composite structure. The technique is applied to retrieve the microwave permeability of nickel. The metal permeability is calculated from the measured permittivity and permeability of paraffin-bound composites filled with nickel flakes or spheres with account for skinning in conducting inclusions. The measurements are performed using the transmission coaxial-cell in the frequency range up to 15 GHz. The effects of filling factor, inclusion shape and size on the retrieved permeability spectra are analyzed. The permeability retrieval procedure is based on parameter fitting of the selected mixing model for the measured permittivity and permeability data. The retrieved permeability is close to the data available from archived literature sources that are obtained with thick nickel wires and foils.