Capacitance for fractal-like disordered dielectric slab

Abstract

In this paper, we model a heterogeneous dielectric medium exhibiting fractal geometry or disordered random structures by applying non-integer dimensions to determine its capacitance between two parallel plates. The capacitance depends on the fractional dimensions of the fractal or disordered dielectric slab, which may be obtained from the theoretical fractal dimension or box-counting method. The findings are verified by CST Studio Suite (Electromagnetic field simulation software), experimental measurements, and the equivalent capacitance method. Five common types of fractals (Cantor bars/plates, Sierpinski carpet, Sierpinski triangle, Haferman carpet, and Menger sponge) and random structures are tested with good agreement. There is also an effective gain of capacitance in using less amount of dielectric materials, which may be useful in material-savings of dielectrics. This research shows a useful tool in modeling the capacitance of heterogeneous materials, where fractals and disordered structures may be commonly encountered in organic materials and any dielectrics where precision and fabrication are not perfect.