M. Jaleel Akhtar

Bio: M. Jaleel Akhtar is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. The author has contributed to research in topics: Microstrip & Permittivity. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 172 publications receiving 1075 citations. Previous affiliations of M. Jaleel Akhtar include Indian Institutes of Technology & Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

Metamaterial-Inspired Microwave Microfluidic Sensor for Glucose Monitoring in Aqueous Solutions

Abstract: A high-sensitive microwave microfluidic sensor based on improved split ring resonator (SRR) for detecting glucose concentration in aqueous glucose solutions is proposed. The novel SRR design of the proposed sensor incorporates inter-digital capacitor (IDC) in the gap of the resonator for enhanced electric field concentration over a larger surface area, which provides higher sensitivity for testing of dielectric liquids. In order to facilitate the measurement of lossy fluids using the proposed sensor, a microfluidic channel is appropriately positioned over the IDC region of the SRR, through which the glucose solutions are made to pass. The microfluidic channel, made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is biocompatible, economical, which is customized to preserve the sample from external contamination. Aqueous solutions with glucose concentrations ranging from 0 to 5000 mg/dl are characterized based on the shift in the resonant frequency and the normalized peak attenuation of the SRR sensor. The measured sensitivity of the proposed PDMS integrated novel SRR sensor for glucose testing is found to be 2.60E-02 MHz/mgdl−1, which is a fair improvement compared to earlier proposed sensors employing similar sensing methodologies. The applicability of the proposed sensor for quantitative analysis of aqueous glucose solutions is verified using both simulation and experimental procedures.

Multi-Band RF Planar Sensor Using Complementary Split Ring Resonator for Testing of Dielectric Materials

Abstract: In this paper, an attractive multi-band RF planar sensor, suitable for non-destructive testing of dispersive materials, is proposed. The proposed sensor is based on a number of complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) unit cells etched in the ground plane of the microstrip line. Each CSRR unit cell can be represented by a narrow band reject filter with its center frequency corresponding to the resonant frequency of the respective CSRR cell. The proposed technique is used to design the two, three and four band microwave sensors operating at 1.5 GHz, 2.45 GHz, 3.8 GHz, and 5.8 GHz. The distance between the two adjoining CSRRs is minimized for each case without appreciably increasing the inter-cell coupling effect. The transcendental equations required for determining the complex permittivity of the material under test in terms of the resonant frequency are derived from the numerical data obtained using the electromagnetic solver, the CST studio. These numerical equations are then used to obtain the dielectric properties of various test samples, which are measured using the vector network analyzer. The detailed air gap analysis is also performed for checking the accuracy of the designed planar sensor under the real situation. The proposed sensors are fabricated on 0.8 mm thick FR4 substrates using the standard photolithography technique. A number of standard samples are tested using the fabricated sensors in multiple frequency bands, and a good agreement between the obtained results and the data available in literature shows the applicability of the proposed scheme.

Design of SRR-Based Microwave Sensor for Characterization of Magnetodielectric Substrates

Abstract: A novel split-ring resonator (SRR)-based microwave sensor for accurately determining the real parts of the complex permittivity and the complex permeability of magnetodielectric composites is proposed. The proposed sensor is realized using the microstrip technology, where two SRRs coupled magnetically with the microstrip line are printed on two sides of the line. The sensor is designed using the full-wave electromagnetic solver and its equivalent circuit model is obtained. A numerical model of the proposed sensor is developed for extracting the magnetic and the dielectric properties of the sample under test in terms of change in resonance frequency after loading the device with the test specimen. The proposed methodology is validated by fabricating the sensor on RT/duroid 6006 substrate and testing various standard dielectric and magnetodielectric samples viz. Teflon, Poly vinyl chloride, Plexiglas, Polyethylene, Carbonyl iron, Ni0.6Co0.4Fe2O4, and Cobalt (30%)/Polystyrene composite in S-band. The measured relative permeability and the relative permittivity of the test specimens are found to be in close agreement with their values available in literature with maximum error of less than 8%.

Design of Frequency Selective Surface-Based Hybrid Nanocomposite Absorber for Stealth Applications

Abstract: This paper presents the design, fabrication, and electromagnetic testing of a frequency selective surface (FSS)-based novel hybrid nanocomposite absorber for enhanced electromagnetic absorption. The proposed hybrid absorber consists of an FSS pattern printed over a dielectric substrate backed by aluminum foil, which is integrated together with a customized dielectric nanocomposite sheet. The dielectric sheet comprises the conducting carbon black (CB) nanopowders embedded into the epoxy matrix. The fabricated nanocomposite sheet is first characterized for the effective complex permittivity using the free-space measurement technique, and the measured electromagnetic properties are then used for the design of a hybrid absorber. The proposed hybrid absorber having overall thickness of 2.6 mm shows enhanced −10-dB absorption bandwidth of 3.5 GHz, which is much higher than that of the FSS and CB nanocomposite samples measured individually. The proposed work provides an effective way to combine the absorption properties of FSS with that of a customized dielectric absorber sheet in order to design an efficient hybrid absorber having reduced thickness with enhanced absorption bandwidth for stealth technology and various strategic applications.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Effective medium theory of left-handed materials

Abstract: We analyze the transmission and reflection data obtained through transfer matrix calculations on metamaterials of finite lengths, to determine their effective permittivity epsilon and permeability micro. Our study concerns metamaterial structures composed of periodic arrangements of wires, cut wires, split ring resonators (SRRs), closed SRRs, and both wires and SRRs. We find that the SRRs have a strong electric response, equivalent to that of cut wires, which dominates the behavior of left-handed materials (LHM). Analytical expressions for the effective parameters of the different structures are given, which can be used to explain the transmission characteristics of LHMs. Of particular relevance is the criterion introduced by our studies to identify if an experimental transmission peak is left or right handed.

Design and Application of the CSRR-Based Planar Sensor for Noninvasive Measurement of Complex Permittivity

Abstract: A novel microwave noninvasive planar sensor based on the complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) is proposed for an accurate measurement of the complex permittivity of materials. The CSRR is etched in the ground plane of the planar microstrip line. Two CSRRs of rectangular and circular cross-sections are chosen for the sensitivity analysis, where the later is found to possess higher sensitivity and hence appears to be more appropriate for the sensor design. At resonance, the electric field induced along the plane of CSRR is found to be quite sensitive for the characterization of specimen kept in contact with the sensor. A numerical model is developed here for the calculation of the complex permittivity as a function of resonant frequency and the quality factor data using the electromagnetic simulator, the Computer Simulation Technology. For practical applications, a detailed air gap analysis is carried out to consider the effect of any air gap present between the test sample and the CSRR. The designed sensor is fabricated and tested, and accordingly the numerically established relations are experimentally verified for various reference samples e.g., teflon, polyvinyl chloride, plexiglas, polyethylene, rubber, and wood. Experimentally, it is found that the permittivity measurement using the proposed sensor is possible with a typical error of 3%.