Abstract
Polymer–nanoparticle composites prepared using a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix with BaTiO3 nanoparticle compositions of 6, 9, 12, and 15 wt % have shown insulating behavior and are evaluated for their applicability as flexible strain sensors. With increasing percentage of the nanoparticles, the LDPE crystallinity decreased from 38.11 to 33.79% and the maximum electrical displacement response was seen to increase from 2.727 × 10–4 to 4.802 × 10–4 C/cm2. The maximum current, remnant current, and coercive field, all increased with the increasing nanoinclusion loading. Furthermore, the interaction radius values derived from the three-dimensional (3D) model of the nanoparticle dispersion state in polymer–nanoparticle composites were found to be correlated with its key properties. The interaction radius values from the simulated 3D model gave a clear basis for comparing the electrical properties of the samples with the effect of the nanoparticles’ functionalization on the dispersion state in the context of the increased NP loading and giving the values of 275, 290, 310, and 300 nm, respectively. The 12 wt % nanoparticulate-loaded sample demonstrates the best overall trade-off of key parameters studied herein. Overall, the results demonstrate that these flexible polymer–nanoparticle composites could be used for strain-based sensors in the high-tension applications.
Highlights
Polymer−nanoparticle (NP) composites have attracted significant attention for a variety of applications, due to their ease of processing, tunable sensitivity, and suitability for agile manufacturing for customization into bespoke applications.[1−3]The demand for piezoelectric composites as smart functional composites is expected to exceed 5 kilotons by 2029.4 Piezoelectric polymer−NP composites are designed to optimize properties for both sensing measurands and robust deployment
The results show an enhanced current density response alongside the changes in the electrical field with increasing barium titanate (BT) NP loading, which clearly hints that pure low-density polyethylene (LDPE) can only perform until ca. 25 kV/mm field and is unsuitable for higher current density response
The results suggest that the current density shows a stable linear response to the applied electric field, which is a key requirement for sensing purposes
Summary
Polymer−nanoparticle (NP) composites have attracted significant attention for a variety of applications, due to their ease of processing, tunable sensitivity, and suitability for agile manufacturing for customization into bespoke applications.[1−3]The demand for piezoelectric composites as smart functional composites is expected to exceed 5 kilotons by 2029.4 Piezoelectric polymer−NP composites are designed to optimize properties for both sensing measurands and robust deployment. The polymer−NP composites can marry in the flexibility of polymer with the piezoelectric behavior of ceramics into one single material. With the improving processing scenarios[5] and variabilities possible with the nanoscale involvement for a multitude of properties offering an economic replacement of traditional materials for industrial applications.[6] For instance, flexible piezoelectric materials, as shown, are finding widespread applications in energy harvesting, automated fuel injection actuators, ink-jet printers, transducers used in ultrasonic imaging, vibrationcontrolled sensors, and sonars.[7] Industrial applications require multiple functional attributes from materials within sensors, such as tunable electrical conductivity, large surface areas, light weight, and mechanical stability, while being mass manufacturable and with minimum processing cost. Polymer nanocomposites consisting of NP inclusions in a polymer matrix, can meet these requirements.[8]
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