Investigation on dielectric properties of PDMS based nanocomposites

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites have recently been used in applications for energy storage, sensors, and actuators. The polymer materials are gaining dielectric properties such as dielectric permittivity, electrical modulus, and conductivity. In the present study, nanocomposite material is prepared by a solution cast method incorporating carbon black particles into polydimethylsiloxane. The dielectric properties of PDMS/CB nanocomposites are investigated over broad frequency using an impedance analyzer. The polymer nanocomposite's dielectric permittivity is evaluated using the various empirical models available in the literature. Compared with other methods the Wiener model is very similar to the experimental findings. For the frequency range of 100 Hz-100kHz, the frequency-dependent and independent dielectric response was observed. Nanocomposite dielectric permittivity is improved marginally with the reinforcement of carbon black particles. The nanocomposite dielectric loss moves to the higher frequency, although the losses are small. It is proved that electrical modulus can reduce the effect of polarization of electrodes. Nanocomposite AC conductivity exhibits strong frequency dependence particularly in the higher frequency region of the vicinity. This behavior obeys the power law at critical frequency, which reveals the process of relaxing conductivity. The PDMS/CB nanocomposites power-law exponent is within a range of 0.48–0.57. Eventually, empirical and experimental inspections are the basis framework for designing electronic devices based on polymers. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.