Methoxypolyethylene glycol functionalized carbon nanotube composites with high permittivity and low dielectric loss

Abstract

High relative permittivity and low dielectric loss were simultaneously achieved in the percolative nanocomposites with methoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG) modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The dense mPEG layer with a thickness of approximately 1.7nm was continuously coated on the surface of MWCNTs. MWCNTs exhibited excellent dispersibility after being functionalized by mPEG (mPEG@MWCNTs), the mPEG@MWCNTs/ethanol suspension was still turbid even when the suspension was deposited for two months. A high permittivity of 69.7 and a low dielectric loss of 0.042 were simultaneously achieved in the poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) nanocomposite with 4.02vol% mPEG@MWCNTs at 1kHz. The improved dielectric properties in the nanocomposite is mainly ascribed to the following reasons: (i) the increased microcapacitors formed by MWCNTs and insulated dielectric composite; (ii) the enhanced interfacial polarization due to the homogeneous dispersion of mPEG@MWCNTs in the nanocomposites and tight adhesion between mPEG@MWCNTs and P(VDF-HFP) matrix.