In-situ preparation and dielectric properties of silver-polyarylene ether nitrile nanocomposite films

Abstract

Novel silver-polyarylene ether nitrile (Ag/PEN) nanocomposite films were fabricated by using in-situ compositing and solution-casting methods. The morphology of Ag nanoparticles and the interfaces between Ag and PEN matrix were investigation by UV–vis spectra and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM results showed that Ag nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly in the PEN matrix. When the content of Ag is below 1 wt%, spherical Ag nanoparticles with diameter in 80–110 nm were observed. While the content of Ag is over 1 wt%, Ag nano-rods over 300 nm in length were formed. UV–vis spectra showed the absorption of surface plasmon resonance of Ag centered at 450–480 nm, and the peak split into two peaks with more than 1 wt% Ag. Mechanical measurements indicated that the tensile strength and tensile modulus of Ag/PEN nanocomposites were significantly improved compared with pure PEN. The glass transition temperature (T g) raised up slightly after the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles into the PEN matrix. Dielectric measurement showed that the dielectric constant increased from 4.10 to 5.80 when the content of Ag nanoparticles varied from 0 % to 2.0 wt% at 1 kHz. The dielectric loss (tan δ) was still at the lower level after the content of Ag nanoparticles increased, just 0.017 (1 kHz) even when the content of Ag nanoparticles reached 2.0 wt%. The Ag nanoparticle fillers reduced the volume resistivity of the composites significantly, which makes them promising candidates in the application of organic dielectric materials and antistatic materials.