Structure, morphology and dielectric properties of hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles reinforced biopolymer nanocomposites

ABSTRACT

Hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles (h-BNNPs)/Chitosan (CS)/Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) based ternary nanocomposites were prepared using solution casting method and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). The dielectric properties of CS/HPMC/h-BNNP nanocomposite films were also investigated as a function of frequency and temperature and a maximum dielectric constant of ~1200 was achieved at 5 wt % of h-BNNP loading in CS/HPMC blend matrix. The results from the structural, morphological and thermal studies revealed good interactions between h-BNNPs, CS and HPMC.

Graphical Abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Hexagonal boron nitride
• biopolymers
• solution casting
• dielectric studies

Acknowledgments

The author, S. N. M. Shareef is grateful to the management of VIT, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India for providing Research Associateship (RA) to carry out this research work.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. N. M. Shareef

S. N. M. Shareef received his MSc degree in Physics from Vellore Institute of Technology, India in 2007. Presently, he is working as an Assistant Professor-Junior and simultaneously working for his PhD degree at Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. His current research interest is polymeric composite materials for sensor applications.

K. Chidambaram

K. Chidambaram did his PhD in Physics, from Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India, in 1978. Presently, he is retired as a Professor at Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore. His current research work is focused on thin films and semiconductor gas sensor for detecting various environmental pollutants and preparation of nanomaterials.

S. K. Khadheer Pasha

S. K. Khadheer Pasha did his PhD in Physics, from Department of Physics, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India, in 2012. He is presently working as an Assistant Professor-Senior at VIT-AP University, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. His fields of interest are synthesis of nanocomposite materials for applications such as energy storage, sensors, etc.,