On the Permittivity of XT-CF20

In this work, the permittivity of a 3D-printed carbon fiber-loaded anisotropic material, XT-CF20, is examined further. The microstructure of XT-CF20 is first examined via optical imaging and is shown to be composed of inclusions that are aligned with the print direction of the sample. The permittivity tensor for the aligned microstructure is then measured using a capacitive measurement technique and simulations are provided to demonstrate the validity of this measurement method. The simulated permittivity values for XT-CF20 samples with varying infill structures are then presented and compared to the measured permittivity values of said samples. An error of less than 12% between the simulated and measured permittivity values was observed validating the measured permittivity tensor and claims about the cause of the anisotropy presented in this work. The pronounced effect of a sample’s infill on the permittivity tensor of the sample is then discussed along with the conclusions of this work and possible future topics of work for the authors.