Improved Breakdown Strength and Restrained Leakage Current of Sandwich Structure Ferroelectric Polymers Utilizing Ultra-Thin Al2O3 Nanosheets

Abstract

Flexible capacity applications demand a large energy storage density and high breakdown electric field strength of flexible films. Here, P(VDF-HFP) with ultra-thin Al2O3 nanosheet composite films were designed and fabricated through an electrospinning process followed by hot-pressing into a sandwich structure. The results show that the insulating ultra-thin Al2O3 nanosheets and the sandwich structure can enhance the composites’ breakdown strength (by 24.8%) and energy density (by 30.6%) compared to the P(VDF-HFP) polymer matrix. An energy storage density of 23.5 J/cm3 at the ultrahigh breakdown strength of 740 kV/mm can be therefore realized. The insulating test and phase-field simulation results reveal that ultra-thin nanosheets insulating buffer layers can reduce the leakage current in composites; thus, it affects the electric field spatial distribution to enhance breakdown strength. Our research provides a feasible method to increase the breakdown strength of ferroelectric polymers, which is comparable to those of non-ferroelectric polymers.