Polarization response of proton irradiated 0.9Pb(Mg1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-0.1PbTiO3∕polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene 0-3 composites

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene [P(VDF-TrFE) 70∕30mol%] copolymer can be transformed from a normal ferroelectric to a relaxor ferroelectric material after proton irradiation. The phase transition peak broadens and shifts towards lower temperature as the measurement frequency decreases. The occurrence of a slim polarization-electric field loop is another evidence of the effect of proton irradiation. In the present study, 0-3 composites are fabricated by incorporating 0.9Pb(Mg1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-0.1PbTiO3 ceramic powder into a P(VDF-TrFE) 70∕30mol% copolymer matrix. 0.9PMN-0.1PT ceramic is a relaxor ferroelectric with high dielectric permittivity. It was found that the relative permittivity of an unirradiated PMN-PT∕P(VDF-TrFE) 0-3 composite increases with increasing ceramic volume fraction. With a dosage of 1000kGy (where 1Gy=100rad), the composite exhibits a broad peak in the relative permittivity. In the unirradiated composites, the remnant polarization increases gradually with PMN-PT volume fraction. After irradiation, the remnant polarization of the composites with different PMN-PT volume fractions is similar to that of the irradiated copolymer. Energy storage capabilities of the samples were evaluated which showed that proton irradiated composites have a potential for energy storage applications.