Preparation and microwave properties of Ni hollow fiber by electroless plating-template method

Nickel-coated silk composites (Ni/silk fiber) were prepared by electroless nickel-plating using a kind of natural silk as template in first stage. The silk templates were then removed to get Ni hollow fiber by annealing the Ni/silk fiber at 220 degrees C for 2 h in air or 700 degrees C for 1.5 h in nitrogen. The prepared Ni/silk fiber and Ni hollow fiber were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA). The values of complex permittivity, complex permeability, dielectric and magnetic loss of Ni/silk fiber and Ni hollow fiber were measured in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz by a reflection/transmission approach using a network analyzer. The results indicate that the dielectric loss of Ni/silk fiber and Ni hollow fiber is high up to 1 even at 18 GHz while the magnetic loss is low. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.