Synergistic effect of CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramic and Ti3C2Tx MXene nanoflakes on the dielectric properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride) composites

Abstract

Polymer composites are popular multifunctional materials. Their effective use in elements of electronic devices is possible due to the optimal dielectric properties. In this work, a balance between a high dielectric constant and a low dielectric loss tangent was achieved by introducing two types of fillers into poly (vinylidene fluoride): ceramic CaCu3Ti4O12 (10, 20 and 30 vol%) and conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene (2.5–5 wt%). CCTO ceramics was synthesized by the solid-state method. Ti3C2Tx MXene was obtained by etching the Al layer from Ti3AlC2 MAX phase under hydrothermal conditions. The materials were studied by XRD, SEM, FTIR, laser diffraction, and impedance spectroscopy. Composites based on poly (vinylidene fluoride) with 30 vol% CaCu3Ti4O12 and 5 wt% Ti3C2Tx MXene demonstrated the most promising results when increasing the dielectric constant to 28 at a dielectric loss tangent value of 0.061 at a frequency of 10 kHz. At the same time, the electrical strength of the composites had values not lower than 100 MV∙m−1, which is extremely important for their practical application. The results obtained can be used in the development of modern polymer composite dielectrics for passive elements of flexible electronics.