Development and modelling of the dielectric properties of tissue-mimicking phantom materials for ultra-wideband microwave breast cancer detection

In this paper, development and characterization of oil-in-gelatin dispersions are recommended that approximate the dispersive dielectric properties of different human soft tissues over the microwave frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 20 GHz. Different tissues are mimicked by selection of an appropriate concentration of oil. Thus, these materials can be used to construct heterogeneous phantoms including anthropomorphic types for ultra-wideband microwave breast cancer detection and imaging systems. The dielectric constant of the human tissues decreases from low to high frequencies. The experimental data are analyzed and relevant dielectric parameters are determined by curve fitting. It is concluded that bioelectric modelling provides a useful tool in the development of different human tissue mimicking mediums and complex structured phantom to be used for the breast cancer detection. (C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.