Question

is electromagnetic radiation both a particle and a wave?

Answer 1

and can a particle be transmitted through a substance ?

Answer 2

First Q:
1. This is somewhat dependent upon the frequency of the EMR. The lower frequencies of the EMR Spectrum do not seem to exhibit Particle characteristics. More on this below.
2. For those frequencies that do exhibit both Particle or Wave characteristics in tests and use, they do generally in one form at a time. This is because when you try to observe the character of the EMR, the method you are using will give a result that the EMR is either a wave or a particle. Changing the experiment can lead to a different observation or result, hence the Wave-Particle Duality principle. The famous experiment that resulted in the theory that EMR might have dual personalities was the Double Slit experiment, or Young's Experiment. When the slits were of a given size, the pattern on the screen beyond the slits showed that Light (a visible form of EMR) appeared to be Particles. As the slits were narrowed, the pattern on the screen appeared to have interference bands, indicating that the light was made up of Waves.

Answer 3

Second Q: Yes - Particles can be 'transmitted' through solid materials, I think that is what you meant by 'substances'. And if you also allow that the Wave-Particle Duality of most of the EMR spectrum means that a particular frequency can also be 'Particles'.
1. Some pass thru with little on no interaction or deflection. An example is Cosmic Rays.
2. Some can pass though with a specific interaction. An example is visible light through glass. White light through clear glass appears to pass without any interaction but, light does not travel through glass at the same speed as it does in air. This change in speed varies with frequency. The best example of this interaction is white light traveling through a prism. Red light is bent the least (faster through glass), blue is bent the most (slower through glass).
3. Some pass thru but can be absorbed or deflected randomly. An example is an electron beam. An early experiment with electrons (definitely particles although they did not understand what an electron was at the time) involved using electrically charged forces to accelerate a stream of electrons toward a piece of Gold Leaf (very thin gold foil). Not all the electrons made it through but most did. The thing that was noticed was that the beam did not come out the other side in the same shape it went in. Because of the interactions of the 'negative' electrons with the gold atoms, scattering was seen. This experiment helped to understand the physical nature of the atom.
One other example is that of X-Rays. They can pass through many substances (like soft tissue) with little absorption but are absorbed in much greater amounts by other substances such as bones.
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

thank you!