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1. Investigating the dielectric constant of barium titanate in a polymer-matrix nanocomposite

   https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00319-x  

   Cooper, Emma; De Anda, Eduardo; Flitz, Evan; Kim, Halie; Casañas, Nicholas; Johnson, Lillian; Kedzierski, Zoe; Domrzalski, Jessica; Dato, Albert; Monson, Todd (November 2022, MRS Advances)

   Abstract Barium titanate (BTO) is a ferroelectric material used in capacitors because of its high bulk dielectric constant. However, the impact of the size of BTO on its dielectric constant is not yet fully understood and is highly contested. Here, we present an investigation into the dielectric constant of BTO nanoparticles with diameters ranging between 50 and 500 nm. BTO nanoparticles were incorporated into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and injection molded into parallel plate capacitors, which were used to determine nanocomposite dielectric constants. The dielectric constants of BTO nanoparticles were obtained by combining experimental measurements with computational results from COMSOL simulations of ABS-matrix nanocomposites containing BTO. The dielectric constant of BTO was observed to be relatively constant at nanoparticle diameters as small as 200 nm but sharply declined at smaller nanoparticle sizes. These results will be useful in the development of improved energy storage and power conditioning systems utilizing BTO nanoparticles. Graphical abstract 

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2. Mechanically controllable nonlinear dielectrics

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz3180  

   Ko, D. L.; Tsai, M. F.; Chen, J. W.; Shao, P. W.; Tan, Y. Z.; Wang, J. J.; Ho, S. Z.; Lai, Y. H.; Chueh, Y. L.; Chen, Y. C.; et al (March 2020, Science Advances)

   Strain-sensitive Ba x Sr 1− x TiO 3 perovskite systems are widely used because of their superior nonlinear dielectric behaviors. In this research, new heterostructures including paraelectric Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 (BSTO) and ferroelectric BaTiO 3 (BTO) materials were epitaxially fabricated on flexible muscovite substrate. Through simple bending, the application of mechanical force can regulate the dielectric constant of BSTO from −77 to 36% and the channel current of BTO-based ferroelectric field effect transistor by two orders. The detailed mechanism was studied through the exploration of phase transition and determination of band structure. In addition, the phase-field simulations were implemented to provide theoretical support. This research opens a new avenue for mechanically controllable components based on high-quality oxide heteroepitaxy. 

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3. Sintering parameters influence on dielectric properties of modified nano-BaTiO ₃ ceramics

   https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217984922500609  

   Stajcic, Aleksandar; Stajcic, Ivana; Mitic, Vojislav V.; Lu, Chun-An; Vlahovic, Branislav; Vasiljevic-Radovic, Dana (July 2022, Modern Physics Letters B)

   BaTiO 3 (BTO) is considered the most commonly used ceramic material in multilayer ceramic capacitors due to its desirable dielectric properties. Considering that the miniaturization of electronic devices represents an expanding field of research, modification of BTO has been performed to increase dielectric constant and DC bias characteristic/sensitivity. This research presents the effect of N 2 and air atmospheres on morphological and dielectric properties of BTO nanoparticles modified with organometallic salt at sintering temperatures of [Formula: see text]C, [Formula: see text]C, [Formula: see text]C, and [Formula: see text]C. Measured dielectric constants were up to 35,000, with achieved very high values in both atmospheres. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used for morphological characterization, revealing a porous structure in all the samples. The software image analysis of FESEM images showed a connection between particle and pore size distribution, as well as porosity. Based on the data from the image analysis, the prediction of dielectric properties in relation to morphology indicated that yttrium-based organometallic salt reduced oxygen vacancy generation in N 2 atmosphere. DC bias sensitivity measurements showed that samples with higher dielectric constant had more pronounced sensitivity to voltage change, but most of the samples were stable up to 100 V, making our modified BTO a promising candidate for capacitors. 

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4. Investigation of Piezoelectricity and Resistivity of Surface Modified Barium Titanate Nanocomposites

   https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11122123  

   Sundar, Udhay; Lao, Zichen; Cook-Chennault, Kimberly (December 2019, Polymers)

   null (Ed.)

   Polymer-ceramic nanocomposite piezoelectric and dielectric films are of interest because of their possible application to advanced embedded energy storage devices for printed wired electrical boards. The incompatibility of the two constituent materials; hydrophilic ceramic filler, and hydrophobic epoxy limit the filler concentration, and thus, their piezoelectric properties. This work aims to understand the role of surfactant concentration in establishing meaningful interfacial layers between the epoxy and ceramic filler particles by observing particle surface morphology, piezoelectric strain coefficients, and resistivity spectra. A comprehensive study of nanocomposites, comprising non-treated and surface treated barium titanate (BTO), embedded within an epoxy matrix, was performed. The surface treatments were performed with two types of coupling agents: Ethanol and 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilan. The observations of particle agglomeration, piezoelectric strain coefficients, and resistivity were compared, where the most ideal properties were found for concentrations of 0.02 and 0.025. This work demonstrates that the interfacial core-shell processing layer concentration influences the macroscopic properties of nanocomposites, and the opportunities for tuning interfacial layers for desirable characteristics of specific applications. 

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5. Mechanochemical Reactivity of a 1,2,4‐Triazoline‐3,5‐dione‐Anthracene Diels‐Alder Adduct

   https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.202300850  

   Chang, Hao‐Chun; Liang, Min‐Chieh; Luc, Van‐Sieu; Davis, Chelsea; Chang, Chia‐Chih (November 2023, Chemistry – An Asian Journal)

   Abstract Force‐responsive molecules that produce fluorescent moieties under stress provide a means for stress‐sensing and material damage assessment. In this work, we report a mechanophore based on Diels‐Alder adductTAD‐Anof 4,4′‐(4,4′‐diphenylmethylene)‐bis‐(1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione) and initiator‐substituted anthracene that can undergo retro‐Diels‐Alder (rDA) reaction by pulsed ultrasonication and compressive activation in bulk materials. The influence of having C−N versus C−C bonds at the sites of bond scission is elucidated by comparing the relative mechanical strength ofTAD‐Anto another Diels‐Alder adductMAL‐Anobtained from maleimide and anthracene. The susceptibility to undergo rDa reaction correlates well with bond energy, such that C−N bond containingTAD‐Andegrades faster C−C bond containingMAL‐Anbecause C−N bond is weaker than C−C bond. Specifically, the results from polymer degradation kinetics under pulsed ultrasonication shows that polymer containingTAD‐Anhas a rate constant of 1.59×10⁻⁵ min⁻¹, whileMAL‐An(C−C bond) has a rate constant of 1.40×10⁻⁵ min⁻¹. Incorporation ofTAD‐Anin a crosslinked polymer network demonstrates the feasibility to utilizeTAD‐Anas an alternative force‐responsive probe to visualize mechanical damage where fluorescence can be “turned‐on” due to force‐accelerated retro‐Diels‐Alder reaction. 

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