Corrections to the optical properties of cermets. I. Quantum size effects

Abstract

The dielectric constant of metallic grains in real cermets is obtained using the formalism developed by Wood and Ashcroft, and the resonance structure derived from this formalism is smoothed out by using a log-normal distribution to average the dielectric constant over grain sizes. The results from the quantum theory for the metallic inclusions in Au/A1₂O₃ cermet are compared with Drude's results against experimental data using mean field theory to obtain the effective medium dielectric constant of the cermet.