Electromagnetic behavior of radar absorbing materials based on conducting polymers

The efficiency of recently developed RAM (Radar Absorbing Materials) based on conducting polymers in sheet texture has been investigated by X-band (8 to 12 GHz) scattering measurements and, also by determination of their complex dielectric constant by a waveguide method. This paper presents the experimental methodology used to characterize RAM based on a conducting polymer called polyaniline. The correlation between the considerable loss tangent of the material and its reflectivity (return loss) suggests its application for aeronautical purposes, for example, to decrease the radar cross section of aircraft.