Fabrication of a
transparent film composed of a barium titanate
(BaTiO3) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix is
reported to expand the application field for composite films such
as displays and touch panel screens. BaTiO3 nanoparticles
are synthesized by sol–gel route with dispersion carried out
in 2-methoxyethanol. The synthesized nanoparticles are 10 nm in size
and are highly dispersed in the solvent. The surfaces of the obtained
nanoparticles are modified by treatment with titanium isopropoxide
and by using two silane coupling agents: n-decyltrimethoxysilane
and 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate. The surface-modified
BaTiO3 nanoparticles were then added to a sample of methyl
methacrylate to obtain a transparent BaTiO3 dispersion.
Transparent BaTiO3/PMMA nanocomposite films (sheet type,
thickness of 150 μm) are obtained by the polymerization of the
BaTiO3/MMA dispersion via heat treatment and by using a
polymerization initiator. The visual transparency of the BaTiO3/PMMA film is comparable to that of the original PMMA film.
Additionally, no difference in the transparency of the BaTiO3/PMMA films is observed when the BaTiO3 weight ratio is
varied between 5% and 33%. The dielectric constant of the nanocomposite
film improved from 4.6 (PMMA only) to 7.1 by incorporating 10 wt %
of BaTiO3. Such improvement in the dielectric properties,
while maintaining the transparency, flexibility, and workability of
PMMA films, allows the expansion of the fields of functional ceramics
and polymers.
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