Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of CCTO-P(VDF-TrFE) Nanocomposites

Abstract

Ceramic/polymer composites made of nanosized CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) powders as filler and P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers as matrix were fabricated by solution casting method followed by a hot-press process. The hot-press process results in a better morphological uniformity in the composites. The morphology of the composites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, while the dielectric propeorties of the composites at temperatures from room temperature to 125°C were characterized at frequencies from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. It is found that the composites exhibit a relatively high dielectric constant with a small dielectric loss. For example, the flexible composites with 50 vol.% CCTO, the dielectric constant at 1 kHz is 60 with a loss about 0.05.

Keywords:

• Composite
• CCTO
• dielectric properties
• nano size
• hot press

Acknowledgment

The research was supported by a 3M faculty award and an AU competitive grant as well as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) summer graduate student research program.