skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Ultrahigh Capacitive Energy Density in Stratified 2D Nanofiller-Based Polymer Dielectric Films
Dielectric capacitors are critical components in electronics and energy storage devices. The polymer-based dielectric capacitors have the advantages of device flexibility, fast charge–discharge rates, low loss, and graceful failure. Elevating the use of polymeric dielectric capacitors for advanced energy applications such as electric vehicles (EVs), however, requires significant enhancement of their energy densities. Here, we report a polymer thin film heterostructure-based capacitor of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) with stratified 2D nanofillers (Mica or h-BN nanosheets) (PVDF/PMMA-2D fillers/PVDF), that shows enhanced permittivity, high dielectric strength, and an ultrahigh energy density of ≈75 J/cm3 with efficiency over 79%. Density functional theory calculations verify the observed permittivity enhancement. This approach of using oriented 2D nanofillers-based polymer heterostructure composites is expected to be versatile for designing high energy density thin film polymeric dielectric capacitors for myriads of applications.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1900692
PAR ID:
10470839
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American chemical society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
ACS Nano
Volume:
17
Issue:
20
ISSN:
1936-0851
Page Range / eLocation ID:
20262 to 20272
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
polymer nanocomposite, dielectric capacitors, 2D nanofillers, dielectric constant, high energy density, high breakdown strength, high power density
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Not AvailableThe demand for energy storage devices with high energy density, power density, and higher efficiencies has motivated researchers to explore novel materials and designs beyond current limitations. Polymer-based dielectric capacitors are flexible, lightweight, self-healable, and compatible with a variety of nanofillers. Despite a plethora of studies on polymer nanocomposites with 2D nanofillers, the role of multilayered 2D nanofillers in polymer nanocomposites in the context of energy storage properties has yet to be determined. In this work, mechanically exfoliated 2D mica nanofillers were incorporated with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer to fabricate PVDF-mica-PVDF (PMP) multilayered heterostructure capacitors. A single exfoliated layer of mica with an average thickness of the flakes of 20 nm interfaced within layers of PVDF to form PMP and using two layers of mica to form PVDF/mica/PVDF/mica/PVDF (PMPMP) heterostructure capacitors. Average enhancements of 100% and 170% were measured for the dielectric constants of PMP (εav ∼ 22.9) and PMPMP (εav ∼ 30.8), respectively compared to that of the pristine PVDF (εav ∼ 11.4) films measured using the same setup. The highest discharged energy density of PMP and PMPMP nanocomposite films reached 27.5 J/cm3 (E = 670 MV/m) and 44 J/cm3 (E = 570 MV/m), compared to 11.2 J/cm3 (E = 396 MV/m) for the pristine PVDF capacitor. This work develops a detailed understanding of the use of multilayered 2D nanofillers to develop high-capacitance and high energy density polymeric dielectric capacitors and opens avenues for developing orientation-controlled 2D nanofiller-based capacitors for use in industrial applications. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a semicrystalline polymer used in thin‐film dielectric capacitors because of its inherently high dielectric constant and low loss tangent. Its dielectric constant can be increased by the formation and alignment of its β‐phase crystalline structure, which can be facilitated by 2D nanofillers. 2D carbides and nitrides, MXenes, are promising candidates due to their notable dielectric permittivity and ability to increase interfacial polarization. Still, their mixing is challenging due to weak interfacial interactions and poor dispersibility of MXenes in PVDF. This work explores a novel method for delaminating Ti3C2TxMXene directly into organic solvents while maintaining flake size and quality, as well as the use of a non‐solvent‐induced phase separation method for producing both dense and porous PVDF‐MXene composite films. A deeper understanding of dielectric behavior in these composites is reached by examining MXenes with both mixed and pure chlorine terminations in PVDF matrices. Thin‐film capacitors fabricated from these composites display ultrahigh discharge energy density, exceeding 45 J cm−3with 95% efficiency. The PVDF‐MXene composites are also processed using a green and sustainable solvent, propylene carbonate. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    The synthesis of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs) or hairy nanoparticles (HNPs) by tethering of polymer chains to the surface of nanoparticles is an important technique to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials that have been widely used in the formulation of advanced polymer nanocomposites. Ceramic-based polymer nanocomposites integrate key attributes of polymer and ceramic nanomaterial to improve the dielectric properties such as breakdown strength, energy density and dielectric loss. This review describes the ”grafting from” and ”grafting to” approaches commonly adopted to graft polymer chains on NPs pertaining to nano-dielectrics. The article also covers various surface initiated controlled radical polymerization techniques, along with templated approaches for grafting of polymer chains onto SiO2, TiO2, BaTiO3, and Al2O3 nanomaterials. As a look towards applications, an outlook on high-performance polymer nanocomposite capacitors for the design of high energy density pulsed power thin-film capacitors is also presented. 
    more » « less
  4. Chalcogenide hybrid inorganic/organic polymers (CHIPs) are a new class of optical polymeric materials for imaging and photonic applications due to their high refractive indices and high optical transmission at visible and infrared wavelengths. In this study, we characterize these polymers to study the refractive index and delve into the electronic properties by way of measurements of their dielectric constants. Ellipsometry is used to determine the refractive indices for wavelengths from 500 nm to 12 µm, while we use capacitance measurements on thin film capacitors with a range of areas to find the dielectric constant. The results are in line with expectations based on the sulfur composition of the polymers-indices range from 1.7 to 1.85, and dielectric constants range from 2.6 to 3. With these measurements, these sulfur polymer materials are established to be good candidates for optical and photonic applications, particularly with respect to telecommunications. The dielectric constants suggest that applications such as electro-optic devices and capacitors may also be viable. 
    more » « less
  5. We developed ultra-high energy storage density capacitors using a new class of lead-free bismuth pyrochlorebased dielectric film material systems with high breakdown strength and reliability. The 2 μm-thick pyrochlore ceramic film capacitors have demonstrated ultra-high energy densities around 90 J/cm3 with very low energy loss below 3%, which is achieved by the combination of high permittivity, pseudo-linear dielectric characteristics, and high breakdown electric field over 4.5 MV/cm. Particularly, these pyrochlore ceramic films can endure voltage strength up to ~900 V. These noteworthy pyrochlore ceramic films are fabricated by the lowcost chemical solution deposition process which allows dielectric films to be processed on standard platinized silicon wafers. This new class of capacitors can satisfy the emergent needs for significant reduction in size and weight of capacitors with high energy storage capability in power electronics, electric vehicles, and energy storage in sustainable energy systems. Our research provides a unique and economical platform for the processing of this useful pyrochlore material in large volume for eco-friendly energy applications. 
    more » « less