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Showing papers on "Dielectric published in 2010"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The large area synthesis of h-BN films consisting of two to five atomic layers, using chemical vapor deposition, show a large optical energy band gap of 5.5 eV and are highly transparent over a broad wavelength range.
Abstract: Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a layered material similar to graphite, is a promising dielectric. Monolayer h-BN, so-called "white graphene", has been isolated from bulk BN and could be useful as a complementary two-dimensional dielectric substrate for graphene electronics. Here we report the large area synthesis of h-BN films consisting of two to five atomic layers, using chemical vapor deposition. These atomic films show a large optical energy band gap of 5.5 eV and are highly transparent over a broad wavelength range. The mechanical properties of the h-BN films, measured by nanoindentation, show 2D elastic modulus in the range of 200-500 N/m, which is corroborated by corresponding theoretical calculations.

2,362 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 2010-Carbon
TL;DR: In this paper, a dielectric spectroscopy of short carbon fiber/silica composite in the frequency range from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz at temperatures between 30 and 600°C has been performed.

1,540 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Zhigang Suo1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a theory of dielectric elastomers, developed within continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, and motivated by molecular pictures and empirical observations, which couples large deformation and electric potential, and describes nonlinear and nonequilibrium behavior, such as electromechanical instability and viscoelasticity.

838 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of geometric factors and intrinsic properties of the fillers and the matrix on electric and dielectric properties near percolation have been discussed, and an outlook on the future possibilities and scientific challenges in the field is given.
Abstract: Dramatic changes in the physical properties of composites occur when filler particles form a percolating network through the composite, particularly when the difference between the properties of the constitutive phases is large. By use of electric conductivity and dielectric properties as examples, recent studies on the physical properties of composites near percolation are reviewed. The effects of geometric factors and intrinsic properties of the fillers and the matrix, and especially of the interface between fillers and matrix, on electric and dielectric properties near percolation are discussed. Contact resistivity at the interface is less desirable for enhancing electrical conductivity. By contrast, an interface with high resistivity suppresses tunneling between adjacent fillers and leads to percolative composites with higher dielectric constant but lower dielectric loss. This review concludes with an outlook on the future possibilities and scientific challenges in the field.

811 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A polarizable coarse-grained water model is parameterized such that bulk water density and oil/water partitioning data remain at the same level of accuracy as for the standard MARTINI force field, and the dielectric screening of bulk water is reproduced.
Abstract: Coarse-grained (CG) simulations have become an essential tool to study a large variety of biomolecular processes, exploring temporal and spatial scales inaccessible to traditional models of atomistic resolution. One of the major simplifications of CG models is the representation of the solvent, which is either implicit or modeled explicitly as a van der Waals particle. The effect of polarization, and thus a proper screening of interactions depending on the local environment, is absent. Given the important role of water as a ubiquitous solvent in biological systems, its treatment is crucial to the properties derived from simulation studies. Here, we parameterize a polarizable coarse-grained water model to be used in combination with the CG MARTINI force field. Using a three-bead model to represent four water molecules, we show that the orientational polarizability of real water can be effectively accounted for. This has the consequence that the dielectric screening of bulk water is reproduced. At the same time, we parameterized our new water model such that bulk water density and oil/water partitioning data remain at the same level of accuracy as for the standard MARTINI force field. We apply the new model to two cases for which current CG force fields are inadequate. First, we address the transport of ions across a lipid membrane. The computed potential of mean force shows that the ions now naturally feel the change in dielectric medium when moving from the high dielectric aqueous phase toward the low dielectric membrane interior. In the second application we consider the electroporation process of both an oil slab and a lipid bilayer. The electrostatic field drives the formation of water filled pores in both cases, following a similar mechanism as seen with atomistically detailed models.

752 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Willi Volksen joined the IBM Research Division at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA, where he is an active research staff member in the Advanced Materials Group of the Science and Technology function.
Abstract: Modern computer microprocessor chips are marvels of engineering complexity. For the current 45 nm technology node, there may be nearly a billion transistors on a chip barely 1 cm2 and more than 10 000 m of wiring connecting and powering these devices distributed over 9-10 wiring levels. This represents quite an advance from the first INTEL 4004B microprocessor chip introduced in 1971 with 10 μm minimum dimensions and 2 300 transistors on the chip! It has been disclosed that advanced microprocessor chips at the 32 nm node will have more than 2 billion transistors.1 For instance, Figure 1 shows a sectional 3D image of a 90 nm IBM microprocessor, containing several hundred million integrated devices and 10 levels of interconnect wiring, designated as the back-end-of-the-line (BEOL). Since the invention of microprocessors, the number of active devices on a chip has been exponentially increasing, approximately doubling every two years. This trend was first described in 1965 by Gordon Moore,2 although the original discussion suggested doubling the number of devices every year, and the phenomenon became popularly known as Moore’s Law. This progress has proven remarkably resilient and has persisted for more than 50 years. The enabler that has permitted these advances is known as scaling, that is, the reduction of minimum device dimensions by lithographic advances (photoresists, tooling, and process integration optimization) by ∼30% for each device generation.3 It allowed more active devices to be incorporated in a given area and improved the operating characteristics of the individual transistors. It should be emphasized that the earlier improvements in chip performance were achieved with very few changes in the materials used in the construction of the chips themselves. The increase of performance with scaling * Corresponding author. E-mail: gdubois@us.ibm.com. † IBM Almaden Research Center. ‡ Stanford University. Willi Volksen received his B.S. in Chemistry (magna cum laude) from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1972 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry/Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, in 1975. He then joined the research group of Prof. Harry Gray/Dr. Alan Rembaum at the California Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow and upon completion of the one-year appointment joined Dr. Rembaum at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Senior Chemist in 1976. In 1977 Dr. Volksen joined the IBM Research Division at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA, where he is an active research staff member in the Advanced Materials Group of the Science and Technology function.

714 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a non-periodic pattern of the grating surface is proposed to give full control over the phase front of reflected light while maintaining a high reflectivity, which could have a substantial impact on a number of applications that depend on low-cost, compact optical components.
Abstract: Sub-wavelength dielectric gratings have emerged recently as a promising alternative to distributed Bragg reflection dielectric stacks for broadband, high-reflectivity filtering applications. Such a grating structure composed of a single dielectric layer with the appropriate patterning can sometimes perform as well as 30 or 40 dielectric distributed Bragg reflection layers, while providing new functionalities such as polarization control and near-field amplification. In this Letter, we introduce an interesting property of grating mirrors that cannot be realized by their distributed Bragg reflection counterpart: we show that a non-periodic patterning of the grating surface can give full control over the phase front of reflected light while maintaining a high reflectivity. This new feature of dielectric gratings allows the creation of miniature planar focusing elements that could have a substantial impact on a number of applications that depend on low-cost, compact optical components, from laser cavities to CD/DVD read/write heads.

561 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a temperature-composition phase diagram is proposed that exhibits compositionally driven phase transitions with easy paths for both polarization rotation and polarization extension, which is best known at temperature-driven ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transitions.
Abstract: Many ferroelectric solid solutions exhibit enhanced electromechanical properties at the morphotropic boundary separating two phases with different orientations of polarization. The mechanism of properties enhancement is associated with easy paths for polarization rotation in anisotropically flattened free energy profile. Another mechanism of properties enhancement related to free energy flattening is polarization extension. It is best known at temperature-driven ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transitions and may lead to exceedingly large properties. Its disadvantage is temperature instability of the enhancement. In this paper a temperature-composition phase diagram is proposed that exhibits compositionally driven-phase transitions with easy paths for both polarization rotation and polarization extension.

519 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A method for obtaining unity-order refractive index changes in the accumulation layer of a metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure with conducting oxide as the active material with plasmonic mode is reported.
Abstract: We report a method for obtaining unity-order refractive index changes in the accumulation layer of a metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure with conducting oxide as the active material Under applied field, carrier concentrations at the dielectric/conducting oxide interface increase from 1 × 10^(21)/cm^3 to 28 × 10^(22)/cm^3, resulting in a local refractive index change of 139 at 800 nm When this structure is modeled as a plasmonic waveguide, the change corresponds to a modal index change of 008 for the plasmonic mode

482 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the dielectric properties of A2+B6+O4 (A2+: Ca, Pb, Ba; B6+: Mo, W) ceramics were investigated as a function of packing fraction and bond valence.
Abstract: Microwave dielectric properties of A2+B6+O4 (A2+: Ca, Pb, Ba; B6+: Mo, W) ceramics were investigated as a function of packing fraction and bond valence. For A2+B6+O4 specimens sintered at 800–1100 °C for 3 h, a single phase with a tetragonal scheelite structure was detected, and the theoretical density was higher than 93% throughout the composition. Although the ionic polarizability of Ba2+ ion was larger than that of Ca2+ ion, the dielectric constant (K) of BaB6+O4 showed a smaller value than that of CaB6+O4. These results could be attributed to changes of the packing fraction due to the effective ionic size. The Q·f value was largely dependent on the packing fraction, as well as the percentages of theoretical density. The temperature coefficients of the resonant frequencies (TCFs) of the specimens were affected by the bond valence of oxygen. The specimens of CaMoO4 sintered at 1000 °C for 3 h showed the K of 10.8, Q·f of 76,990 GHz and TCF of −22.8 ppm/°C, respectively.

362 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, trap densities at high-permittivity (k) dielectric/III-V semiconductor interfaces and their distribution in the semiconductor band gap are compared.
Abstract: Methods to extract trap densities at high-permittivity (k) dielectric/III-V semiconductor interfaces and their distribution in the semiconductor band gap are compared. The conductance method, the Berglund intergral, the Castagne–Vapaille (high-low frequency), and Terman methods are applied to admittance measurements from metal oxide semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with high-k/In0.53Ga0.47As interfaces with different interface trap densities. The results are discussed in the context of the specifics of the In0.53Ga0.47As band structure. The influence of different conduction band approximations for determining the ideal capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics and those of the MOSCAP parameters on the extracted interface trap density are investigated. The origins of discrepancies in the interface trap densities determined from the different methods are discussed. Commonly observed features in the CV characteristics of high-k/In0.53Ga0.47As interfaces are interpreted and guidelines are developed to obtain...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present paper reports the complex permittivity, permeability, and microwave absorption properties of core shell type poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT) nanocomposite with barium ferrite, synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization, in the 12.4-18 GHz frequency range.
Abstract: The present paper reports the complex permittivity, permeability, and microwave absorption properties of core shell type poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT) nanocomposite with barium ferrite, synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization, in the 12.4−18 GHz frequency range. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) studies reveal the formation of core−shell type morphology with ferrite particles (60−80 nm) as the center while the polymer (PEDOT) formulates the outer shell of the composite. The presence of barium ferrite nanoparticles in the polymer matrix includes the magnetic losses, which mainly arise from the magnetic hysteresis, domain−wall displacement, and eddy current loss. The higher dielectric (e′′ = 23.5) and magnetic loss (μ′′ = 0.22) contributes to the microwave absorption value of 22.5 dB (>99% attenuation) and are found to increase with the amount of ferrite constituents. The polymer was further characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ener...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The domain morphology and crystal structure of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were systematically studied with transmission electron microscopy for compositions x=0.04 through 0.11.
Abstract: The domain morphology and crystal structure of (1−x)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3xBaTiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were systematically studied with transmission electron microscopy for compositions x=0.04 through 0.11. It was found that the ceramics with compositions x<0.06 display a R3c symmetry with ferroelectric domains of ∼100 nm forming complex structures at room temperature. Only nanodomains with faint contrast were observed in the compositions of 0.07≤x≤0.09. The presence of weak 1/2 (ooe) superlattice diffraction spots and absence of 1/2 (ooo) ones (o stands for odd and e stands for even miller indices) seem to suggest a P4bm symmetry at room temperature. The morphotropic phase boundary composition x=0.06 showed mixed R3c and P4bm phases. Large lamellar ferroelectric domains with P4mm symmetry were found to dominate in the ceramic of x=0.11. The observed domain structure correlates extremely well with the frequency dispersion of dielectric constant at room temperature and a new concept “relaxor antifer...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a dielectric loaded substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) H-plane sectoral horn antenna has been proposed and two antennas with rectangular and elliptical shaped loaded dielectrics were designed and fabricated.
Abstract: A dielectric loaded substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) H-plane sectoral horn antenna has been proposed in this paper. The horn and the loaded dielectric are integrated by using the same single substrate resulting in easy fabrication and low cost. Two antennas with rectangular and elliptical shaped loaded dielectrics were designed and fabricated. These antennas have high gain and narrow beamwidths both in the E-plane and in the H-plane. The results from the simulation and those from the measurement are in good agreement. To demonstrate applications of the array, the small aperture elliptical dielectric loaded antenna has been used to form an array to obtain higher gain and to form a one-dimensional monopulse antenna array.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The theory predicts that, for an elastomer with a stress-stretch curve of a desirable form, the voltage can induce giant deformation.
Abstract: The deformation of a dielectric induced by voltage is limited by electrical breakdown if the dielectric is stiff, and by electromechanical instability if the dielectric is compliant. The interplay of the two modes of instability is analyzed for a dielectric elastomer, which is compliant at a small stretch, but stiffens steeply. The theory is illustrated with recent experiments of interpenetrating networks, and with a model of swollen elastomers. The theory predicts that, for an elastomer with a stress-stretch curve of a desirable form, the voltage can induce giant deformation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the frequency shift of a narrowband Fano resonance mode in a plasmonic planar metamaterial induced by a change in the dielectric properties of an adjacent chalcogenide glass layer was demonstrated.
Abstract: We demonstrate an innovative concept for nanoscale electro-optic switching. It exploits the frequency shift of a narrow-band Fano resonance mode in a plasmonic planar metamaterial induced by a change in the dielectric properties of an adjacent chalcogenide glass layer. An electrically stimulated transition between amorphous and crystalline forms of the glass brings about a 150 nm shift in the near-infrared resonance providing transmission modulation with a contrast ratio of 4:1 in a device of subwavelength thickness.

BookDOI
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: In this article, pre-publication prices are valid through the end of the third month following publication, and therefore are subject to change subject to the availability of pre-publishing data.
Abstract: CA, MA, NJ, NY, and PA residents, please add sales tax. Canadian residents, please add 5% GST. Please add $5.00 for shipping one book and $1.00 for each additional book. Outside the US and Canada add $10.00 for first book, $5.00 for each additional book. All orders are processed upon receipt. If an order cannot be fulfilled within 90 days, payment will be refunded upon request. Prices are payable in US currency or its equivalent. Remember, your 30-day return privilege is always guaranteed. Pre-publication pricing: Unless otherwise stated, pre-pub prices are valid through the end of the third month following publication, and therefore are subject to change. Springer Customer Service Center GmbH Haberstrasse 7 69126 Heidelberg Germany

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, single-particle structure-property measurements, coupled with a statistical analysis and FDTD calculations, are performed on silver and gold nanocubes, and the dependencies of LSPR frequencies on nanocube size, composition, and substrate dielectric constant are determined.
Abstract: Localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), resulting from the interaction of light with metal nanoparticles, are powerful tools for biological sensors, surface-enhanced spectroscopies, and optical devices. LSPR frequencies are strongly dependent on a nanoparticle’s structure, composition, and local dielectric environment. However, these relationships are prohibitively difficult or impossible to probe from bulk solutions due to the heterogeneity of chemically synthesized products. In this study, systematic single-particle structure−property measurements, coupled with a statistical analysis and FDTD calculations, are performed on silver and gold nanocubes. The dependencies of LSPR frequencies on nanocube size, composition, and substrate dielectric constant are determined. The results obtained represent the most quantitative measurements and analysis to date, yielding predictive rules and fundamental insights into the interactions between nanoparticles and substrates.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of various dielectrics on charge mobility in single-layer graphene is investigated by calculating the remote optical phonon scattering arising from the polar substrates, and combining it with their effect on Coulombic impurity scattering.
Abstract: The effect of various dielectrics on charge mobility in single-layer graphene is investigated. By calculating the remote optical phonon scattering arising from the polar substrates, and combining it with their effect on Coulombic impurity scattering, a comprehensive picture of the effect of dielectrics on charge transport in graphene emerges. It is found that though high-$\ensuremath{\kappa}$ dielectrics can strongly reduce Coulombic scattering by dielectric screening, scattering from surface phonon modes arising from them wash out this advantage. Calculation shows that within the available choice of dielectrics, there is not much room for improving carrier mobility in actual devices at room temperatures.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, density functional calculations are performed to explore magnetoelectric effects originating from the influence of an external electric field on magnetic properties of the Fe/MgO(001) interface.
Abstract: Density-functional calculations are performed to explore magnetoelectric effects originating from the influence of an external electric field on magnetic properties of the Fe/MgO(001) interface. It is shown that the effect on the interface magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy can be substantially enhanced if the electric field is applied across a dielectric material with a large dielectric constant. In particular, we predict an enhancement of the interface magnetoelectric susceptibility by a factor of the dielectric constant of MgO over that of the free standing Fe (001) surface. We also predict a significant effect of electric field on the interface magnetocrystalline anisotropy due to the change in the relative occupancy of the 3d-orbitals of Fe atoms at the Fe/MgO interface. These results may be interesting for technological applications such as electrically controlled magnetic data storage.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated how crystalline properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) copolymers affect their dielectric and energy storage properties.
Abstract: High discharged energy density observed in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) based copolymers has attracted considerable research interests in the past years. Crystalline properties exhibit great influence on their dielectric and energy storageproperties. To understand how crystalline properties influence the energy storageproperties of PVDF, PVDF films with three different crystal forms are investigated in this paper. It is shown that γ -PVDF is allowed to work under higher electric fields than α - and β -PVDF in the absence of phase transition in α -PVDF and early polarization saturation in β -PVDF. Consequently, γ -PVDF exhibits the highest energy density of 14 J / cm 3 under 500 MV/m electric field.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work presents a novel organic–inorganic hybrid cage compound (HIm)2[KFe(CN)6] (1; HIm = imidazolium) with a perovskite-type structure, in which the order– disorder behavior of the HIm polar guests give rise to striking dielectric anomalies.
Abstract: Progress in metal–organic framework (MOF) research has recently opened up new possibilities to realize hybrid materials with unique solid-state electric properties, such as ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and dielectricity. Compared with conventional pure inorganic/organic compounds, MOFs take advantage of structural tunability and multifunctionality to develop polarizable molecular materials with rich dielectric properties. Among them, switchable molecular dielectrics, which undergo transitions between high and low dielectric states, are promising materials with potential applications especially in data communication, signal processing, and sensing. However, reports of such MOFs have remained scarce owing to a lack of knowledge regarding control of the motions of the dipole moments in the crystal lattice. From the microscopic point of view, the tunable dielectric permittivity closely relates to the positional freedom of molecular dipole moments. For instance, polar molecules in the liquid state show larger dielectric permittivities than in the solid state owing to the “melting” and “freezing” of the molecular reorientations. With regard to MOFs, the dipole moments are rigidly fixed in the crystal structures in most cases, usually resulting in small and almost temperatureindependent dielectric permittivities. Fortunately, there is still much room for the integration of flexible units into the frameworks; that is, the introduction of a polarization rotation unit in the form of a solid-state molecular rotator or host–guest systems, such as porous compounds. Cage compounds, which are assembled by the inclusion of guest species into the well-matched host cages, is a very promising class of switchable molecular dielectrics. The reorientations of the polar guests in the carefully designed cage compounds may give rise to large dielectric permittivities, which are characterized by a multidimensional liquidlike state, and their freezing will lead to low-dielectric systems. Herein, we present a novel organic–inorganic hybrid cage compound (HIm)2[KFe(CN)6] (1; HIm = imidazolium) with a perovskite-type structure, in which the order– disorder behavior of the HIm polar guests give rise to striking dielectric anomalies. The (HIm)2[KFe(CN)6] crystals were grown from an aqueous solution of K3[Fe(CN)6] and (HIm)Cl salts by slow evaporation at room temperature as large red hexagonal plate perpendicular to the c axis. The existence of HIm and CN groups in 1 is verified by IR spectra. The CN group in 1 exhibits several vibrations in the range 2102–2143 cm , distinct from a single peak of 2118 cm 1 in K3[Fe(CN)6]. Thermal analysis reveals that 1 undergoes two phase transitions, at 187 K (T1) and 158 K (T2). For convenience, we label the phase above T1 as the high-temperature phase (HTP), the phase between T1 and T2 as intermediate-temperature phase (ITP), and the phase below T2 as low-temperature phase (LTP). Variable-temperature X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group R3̄m at 293 K and 173 K as the HTP and ITP, respectively, and in C2/c at 83 K as the LTP. The common structural feature of the compound is the anionic cage formed by Fe CN K units in which the HIm cation resides. The metal–cyanide bond is strong and covalent in the fragment {Fe(CN)6} (Fe C = 1.9 ) and much weaker and ionic in the fragment {K(NC)6} (K N = 2.9 ; Figure 1). In the HTP, the cation reorients around the threefold c axis perpendicular to the ring plane. The cation consists of three carbon and two nitrogen atoms, which were all refined as carbon atoms. The five atoms of the

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the polarization-electric-field hysteresis, the dielectric permittivity dispersion, the piezoelectric properties, the electric-field-induced strain, and the interrelations between these properties for bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) ceramics.
Abstract: We have studied the polarization-electric-field hysteresis, the dielectric permittivity dispersion, the piezoelectric properties, the electric-field-induced strain, and the interrelations between these properties for bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) ceramics. The results indicate that the domain-wall movement in BiFeO3 is strongly inhibited by charged defects, most probably acceptor-oxygen-vacancy defect pairs. The domain-wall mobility can be considerably increased by preventing the defects from migrating into their stable configuration; this can be achieved by thermal quenching from above the Curie temperature, which freezes the disordered defect state. Similarly, Bi2O3 loss during annealing at high temperatures contributes to depinning of the domain walls and an increase in the remanent polarization. The possible defects causing the pinning effect are analyzed and discussed. A weakening of the contacts between the grains in the ceramics and crack propagation were observed during poling with constant field at 100 kV/cm. This is probably caused by an electrically induced strain associated with ferroelastic domain reversal. A relatively large piezoelectric d33 constant of 44 pC/N was obtained by “cyclic poling,” in which the electric field was released after each applied cycle with the purpose to relax the mechanical stresses and minimize the problem of cracking.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, conductive polyaniline (PAN I) particles are encapsulated into an insulating polymer shell prior to dispersion, and the resulting particles are used as high dielectric constant (e) fillers.
Abstract: A novel method allowing rapid production of reliable composites with increased dielectric constant and high dielectric strength for dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) is reported. The promising approach using composites of conductive particles and insulating polymers generally suffers from low breakdown fields when applied to DEA devices. The present publication shows how to overcome this deficiency by using conductive polyaniline (PAN I) particles encapsulated into an insulating polymer shell prior to dispersion. PANI particles are encapsulated using miniemulsion polymerization (MP) of divinylbenzene (DVB). The encapsulation process is scaled up to approximately 20 g particles per batch. The resulting particles are used as high dielectric constant (e) fillers. Composites in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix are prepared and the resulting films characterized by dielectric spectroscopy and tensile tests, and evaluated in electromechanical actuators. The composite films show a more than threefold increase in epsilon', breakdown field strengths above 50 V mu m(-1), and increased strain at break. These novel materials allow tuning the actuation strain or stress output and have potential as materials for energy harvesting.

Journal ArticleDOI
Yong Wang1, Xin Zhou1, Qin Chen1, Baojin Chu1, Qiming Zhang1 
TL;DR: Aromatic polyurea thin films were developed through vapor phase deposition, exhibiting relatively high dielectric constant, low loss, high breakdown field (>800 MV/m) and consequently high energy density (>12 J/cm3) as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: High energy density dielectric materials are desirable for capacitors and other energy storage systems. Two approaches were developed to achieve high electric energy density: explore high dielectric constant (K) materials and improve high operation electric field. Relaxor ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based copolymers P(VDF-HFP), P(VDF-CTFE) and terpolymer P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) have been proven to possess high electric energy density. An energy density of over 25 J/cm3 has been achieved in PVDF-based polymers, which represents the state of art in high energy density polymers. Aromatic polyurea thin films were developed through vapor phase deposition, exhibiting relatively high dielectric constant, low loss, high breakdown field (>800 MV/m) and consequently high energy density (>12 J/cm3). Its thermal stability up to 200°C and high charge-discharge efficiency (>90%) make it attractive for high temperature capacitors. Investigation through SEM, AFM and other experiments indicated unbalanced aromatic polyurea could exhibit apparent high-K (~15) due to the non-uniformity of film thickness and surface morphology. This article reviews the recent development of these high performance polymers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is expected that the proposed system could advance the search for non-Newtonian gravity forces via an enhanced sensitivity of 10(5)-10(7) over current experiments at the 1 μm length scale and may be useful for characterizing other short-range physics such as Casimir forces.
Abstract: We propose an experiment using optically trapped and cooled dielectric micro-spheres for the detection of short-range forces. The center-of-mass motion of a microsphere trapped in vacuum can experience extremely low dissipation and quality factors of ${10}^{12}$, leading to yoctonewton force sensitivity. Trapping the sphere in an optical field enables positioning at less than $1\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ from a surface, a regime where exotic new forces may exist. We expect that the proposed system could advance the search for non-Newtonian gravity forces via an enhanced sensitivity of ${10}^{5}--{10}^{7}$ over current experiments at the $1\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ length scale. Moreover, our system may be useful for characterizing other short-range physics such as Casimir forces.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Electronic transport measurements on thin Bi2Se3 devices are reported and it is shown that the density of the surface states can be modulated via the electric field effect by using a top-gate with a high-k dielectric insulator.
Abstract: Electronic transport experiments involving the topologically protected states found at the surface of Bi2Se3 and other topological insulators require fine control over carrier density, which is challenging with existing bulk-doped material. Here we report on electronic transport measurements on thin (<100 nm) Bi2Se3 devices and show that the density of the surface states can be modulated via the electric field effect by using a top-gate with a high-k dielectric insulator. The conductance dependence on geometry, gate voltage, and temperature all indicate that transport is governed by parallel surface and bulk contributions. Moreover, the conductance dependence on top-gate voltage is ambipolar, consistent with tuning between electrons and hole carriers at the surface.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the dielectric properties of the Fe3O4/ZnO core/shell nanorod−wax composites and showed that the resonant behavior mainly results from interface polarization induced by the special core/hell structures, dipole polarization of both Fe3 o4 and ZnO, and electron transfer between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in Fe3 O4.
Abstract: Fe3O4/ZnO core/shell nanorods are successfully fabricated by combing an inorganic-phase reaction with a hydrogen annealing process. The transmission electron microscopy analysis indicates that the diameter and the length of the core/shell nanorods are 25−80 and 0.35−1.2 μm, respectively. Electromagnetic properties of the core/shell nanorod−wax composites are investigated. The permittivity of the composites shows four dielectric resonant peaks in 2−18 GHz, which can be explained by the transmission line theory. The resonant behavior mainly results from interface polarization induced by the special core/shell structures, dipole polarization of both Fe3O4 and ZnO, and electron transfer between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in Fe3O4. The maximum reflection loss is about −30 dB at 10.4 GHz for the composites with a thickness of 1.5 mm, and the absorption bandwidth with the reflection loss below −20 dB is up to 11 GHz for an absorber with the thickness in 2−4 mm. Thus, our results demonstrate that the Fe3O4/ZnO core/shell...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a ratio k has been proposed to compare the electric properties of the nanodielectrics with the matrix and assess the effect for nanoparticles doping on the short-term breakdown and long-term failure properties.
Abstract: Nanodielectrics, which are concentrated in polymer matrix incorporating nanofillers, have received considerable attention due to their potential benefits as dielectrics. In this paper, short-term breakdown and long-term failure properties of nanodielectrics have been reviewed. The characteristics of polymer matrix, types of nanoparticle and its content, and waveforms of the applied voltage are fully evaluated. In order to effectively comment on the published experimental data, a ratio k has been proposed to compare the electric properties of the nanodielectrics with the matrix and assess the effect for nanoparticles doping. There is evidence that the short-term breakdown properties of nanodielectrics show a strong dependence on the applied voltage waveforms. The polarity and the cohesive energy density (CED) of polymer matrix have a dramatic influence on the properties of nanodielectrics. Nanoparticle doped composites show a positive effect on the long-term failure properties, such as ageing resistance and partial discharge (PD) properties of nanocomposites are superior than microcomposites and the matrix. The larger the dielectric constant and CED of the matrix become, the more significant improvements in long-term performance appear. Based on the reported experimental results, we also present our understandings and propose some suggestions for further work.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the possibility of obtaining relatively high dielectric constant polymer-ceramic composite by incorporating the CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix by melt mixing and hot pressing process was demonstrated.