Investigation of dielectric properties and conductivity of polyvinyl chloride composites by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites have been studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to highlight the prospects for their applications. The terahertz dielectric properties and conductivity of PVC composites in the frequency window of 0.2–1.6 THz have been investigated. The universal dielectric response model has been applied to fit the real part of THz conductivity. It shows that a super-linear behavior is presented in the conductivity, and the conductivity can be tuned by varying the content of PVC and the type of composite. In addition, relationships are established among the types and concentrations as well as the dielectric properties and conductivity. These results are expected to be applied to the preparation of terahertz devices and to the monitoring of materials in industrial production. [Display omitted] • The dielectric properties and conductivity of PVC in THz regime have been tuned by blending plastics and fillers. • These properties of PVC/plastic composites vary with the concentration and type of plastic. • The dielectric loss and real conductivity of PVC/filler composites increase with increasing filler content. • THz-conductivity has been applied to fit the UDR model to investigate the conductivity mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]