Multiscale Characterization of the Influence of the Organic–Inorganic Interface on the Dielectric Breakdown of Nanocomposites

Abstract

Nanoscale engineered materials such as nanocomposites can display or be designed to enhance their material properties through control of the internal interfaces. Here, we unveil the nanoscale origin and important characteristics of the enhanced dielectric breakdown capabilities of gold nanoparticle/polymer nanocomposites. Our multiscale approach spans from the study of a single chemically designed organic/inorganic interface to micrometer-thick films. At the nanoscale, we relate the improved breakdown strength to the interfacial charge retention capability by combining scanning probe measurements and density functional theory calculations. At the meso-and macro-scale, our findings highlight the relevance of the nanoparticle concentration and distribution in determining and enhancing the dielectric properties, as well as identifying this as a crucial limiting factor for the achievable sample size.

Enhanced Energy Density of Polyetherimide Using Low Content Barium Titanate Nanofillers

“…The β is the line slope which reflects the data distribution degree that is an indicator of the film uniformity and quality (higher values or higher slope of line for better film quality). One of the dielectric breakdown mechanisms for nanocomposite films is often ascribed to the deep charge traps inside the composite, which is accountable for the reduced charge mobility and an average free path of electron acceleration [9]. With the increase of filler content, the α value shows a decreasing trend which may be due to the formation of conduction paths by the increasing filler crowd [10].…”

Atomic layer deposition fabricated core–shell nanostructures for enhanced polyetherimide composite dielectrics

“…Interfaces may become the charge source or charge trap depending on the nature of the interface. 37,38 At a temperature as high as 150 °C, the breakdown strength slightly reduces in the core–shell-filled PEI composite but remains higher than that of the PEI baseline with filler content at a lower level. Specifically, the thermal conductivity of TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , and AlN are in increasing order, and rapid heat dissipation is anticipated despite their reduction in amorphous shells.…”

Quantum Mechanical Study of the Dielectric Response of V2C-ZnO/PPy Ternary Nanocomposite for Energy Storage Application

“…In this study, we used first-principles calculations to investigate the dielectric response of PPy/V 2 C Mxene-ZnO. For our calculations, we used the density functional theory (DFT) method, which is a widely used and well-established first-principles calculation method [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. DFT is based on the idea that through the self-consistent solution of the Kohn-Sham equations, the total energy of a system may be represented as a function of the electron density.…”