Abstract
Polymer/ceramic composites with controlled spatial distribution of fillers are synthesized, and the corresponding changes in their properties are studied. Using dielectrophoretic assembly, we create anisotropic composites of aligned BaTi O3 particles in silicone elastomer and study their electrical properties as a function of ceramic volume fraction and composite morphology. These structured composites show an increase in the permittivity compared to composites with the same composition and randomly dispersed (0-3) fillers. This study emphasizes the important role of conductivity, permittivity, and, particularly, local cluster distribution in controlling high-field dielectric behavior. Designed anisotropy in dielectric properties can provide unexampled paradigms for the development of high energy density materials and gain important insights into the mechanisms that control dielectric breakdown strengths and nonlinear conduction at high fields in polymer/ceramic composites.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 034115 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Physics |
| Volume | 103 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors would like to acknowledge the Office of Naval Research and MURI-00014-05-1-0541 for financial support. They would also like to thank Paul Moses and Jeff Long for their help with the setting of electrical equipment
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Office of Naval Research | MURI-00014-05-1-0541 |