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Filler size effects on the microstructure and properties of polymer-ceramic nanocomposites using a semicrystalline matrix

  • Composites & nanocomposites
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Abstract

Size effects of ceramic nanofiller on polymer-ceramic nanocomposites in terms of microstructure and related properties were studied using P(VDF-CTFE) matrix filled with BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles in the sizes of 50, 100, 150, and 200 nm respectively. The experimental results show that the dielectric constant (εr) of the P(VDF-CTFE)-BTO nanocomposites significantly increases with increasing size of the nanofiller. Based on Lichtenecker’s mixing law, the εr of the BTO nanoparticles was calculated from the εr of the nanocomposites and the results indicate that the εr of the BTO nanoparticles increases with increasing size from 50–200 nm. The XRD and DSC results suggest that the crystals of P(VDF-CTFE) matrix are of α and γ phases, and the presence of BTO nanofiller favors the formation of the γ phase. Regarding the dielectric responses associated with the chain movement of a polar matrix, the smaller the nanofiller the stronger the influence on the mobility of polymer segments (i.e., glass transition), while the larger the nanofiller the higher the mobility of long polymer chains at high temperatures. Lichtenecker’s mixing law was also used to calculate the εr of the BTO nanoparticles from the εr of the nanocomposites at different temperatures. It is found that the applicability of a mixing law used in the polymer-ceramic nanocomposites is strongly related to the dielectric loss of the polymer matrix that is associated with the mobility of polymer chains for the polar polymers, especially at high temperatures. In addition, the dielectric strength (Eb) decreases significantly with increasing size of the nanofiller while the polarization under a same electric field does not change much, which experimentally suggests that smaller ceramic nanofiller is preferred to obtain a high Eb.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by a fund for the sci-tech programs of selected overseas professionals in Shaanxi Province (No. 34), a key laboratory research project of Education Department of Shaanxi Province (No. 20JS096), and a USDA Sun Grant (No. 3TF372-9500098543).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory for Electrical Materials and Infiltration Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Xu Lu, Wei Deng, Yisong Zhu, Pengrong Ren, Yuhui Wan & Fuxue Yan

  2. Materials Research and Education Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Jindong Wei & Z.-Y. Cheng

  3. Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Li Jin & Lin Zhang

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  1. Xu Lu
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Correspondence to Xu Lu or Z.-Y. Cheng.

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Lu, X., Deng, W., Wei, J. et al. Filler size effects on the microstructure and properties of polymer-ceramic nanocomposites using a semicrystalline matrix. J Mater Sci 56, 19983–19995 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06555-0

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