Terahertz optical properties of wood–plastic composites

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) optical materials containing polymeric materials have been useful for terahertz technologies. We investigated the THz optical properties of wood-plastic composites (WPCs), which are composed of polystyrene and wood powder, and their suitability as THz optical materials. We found that the refractive indexes and absorption coefficients of the WPCs increased with increasing wood powder content. WPCs are inexpensive and have tunable THz optical properties.