Interaction of metallized tubules with electromagnetic radiation

Several diacetylenic lecithins form tubular microstructures (tubules) when their liposomes are cooled through the chain-melting transition. Recently, the tubules have been metal plated by an electroless technique. This paper reports on the interaction of permalloy coated tubules with electromagnetic radiation. At 10 vol % loading of tubules in an epoxy matrix has a real dielectric constant ε′≊50 at a frequency of 9.5 GHz. Simple electrodynamics accounts well for the observed results. Far higher values of ε′ may be achievable with longer tubules and with improved metal coatings.