Electrical Percolation in Conductive Granular Media

In this study, electrical responses of conductive granular mixtures over a wide frequency range were investigated by focusing on the universal power-law scaling. The studied granular packings with various proportion of conductive grains were considered as resistor-capacitor networks based on contact fabrics and interfacial properties. With prescribed contact networks constructed from the discrete element method, we employed both percolation theories and circuit simulation to compute electrical responses, both of which well predict the span of power-law regimes obtained in experimental observations. This study reveals the role of percolation in controlling electrical responses of conductive granular materials and provide insight into testing techniques for granular energy materials and systems.