Effect of Ceramic Fillers on the Dielectric, Ferroelectric and Magnetic Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites for Flexible Electronics

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites have been investigated for their flexibility, light weight, low production cost and conformability to different shapes. In this paper, the functional properties of the polymer nanocomposites are studied by varying the ceramic fillers with bismuth ferrite, dysprosium (Dy) doped bismuth ferrite and gadolinium (Gd) doped bismuth ferrite. The developed polymer nanocomposites are seen to possess excellent magneto-dielectric behaviour, a property well-suited for developing high-frequency microwave devices. The ceramic nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using methoxy assisted sol–gel technique. The synthesized nanoparticles were subjected to crystallographic and structural characterization. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern illustrated the phase purity and crystalline phases of the nanoparticles with grain sizes ranging from 60 to 90 nm. The morphology of the nanoparticles was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanoparticles were dispersed in the polymer matrix using solution casting to form polymer-ceramic nanocomposite films. The films were subjected to broadband dielectric characterization in the X band of the frequency spectrum and films exhibited magneto-dielectric property with values of e' and µ' greater than one. The ferroelectric and ferromagnetic behaviours of the material at room temperature were studied from the PE and MH loops. Moreover, the nanocomposite films are biodegradable within a few minutes of immersion in water and can be used for transient electronics. Findings from the research can promote the invention of more materials for flexible and transient electronic devices.