Polymeric capacitors are well suited for short-term energy storage and are readily integrated with devices due to their low weight, easy shape forming properties and flexibility.polymer nanocomposite film
Tough polymer nanocomposite film provides flexible energy solution – polymer nanocomposite film - Arhive
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polymer nanocomposite film
Polymer dielectric materials that possess high energy density and extraordinary mechanical properties could be useful for flexible energy storage devices that prove highly beneficial in modern electronics. polymer nanocomposite film
However, the energy density of polymeric capacitors is governed by the dielectric property, which is relatively low (dielectric constant, εr ˜ 2-5) and falls significantly short of rising demands in advanced applications. Reporting in Nanotechnology, we demonstrate a nanoparticle-polymer nanocomposite with a dielectric constant an order of magnitude higher than the best dielectric polymer currently available.polymer nanocomposite film
Bi-axially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is the best commercially available dielectric polymer, but it has an energy density of 2 J/cm3– which is quite low – due its very low dielectric constant (εr˜2.2).
Therefore, requirements for a high-efficiency capacitive storage system have increased the need for dielectric materials with superior energy density.polymer nanocomposite film
To solve this long-standing problem, researchers in the organic nano-piezoelectric device laboratory group at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India have prepared titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite (PNC) film by a cost-effective technique that is suitable for both energy storage and conversion applications. polymer nanocomposite film
It turns out to be an excellent material for energy storage applications due to an increased dielectric constant (εr˜32 at 1 kHz) and high breakdown strength (400 MV/m).
It exhibits the high energy density of 4 J/cm3, which is 2 times higher than BOPP. Thus it can be tailored for a variety of commercial applications such as hybrid electric vehicles, medical devices and electrical weapon systems. polymer nanocomposite film
Our device may fulfil the ever increasing demand for efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly lead-free energy storage devices for use in power electronics and high-power delivery systems.
Owing to the electroactive nature and extraordinary mechanical properties of the nanocomposite, the material also has great potential for fabricating piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) which have recently attracted much attention in the area of mechanical energy harvesting for self-powered devices.
The feasibility of piezoelectric voltage generation from a PNG is demonstrated under periodic mechanical vibration, which is also promising for a broad range of applications such as speed determination, transportation monitoring, frequency count in industrial batch fabrication, noise detection, and acoustic sensing to name a few.
About the author
Md. Mehebub Alam (lead author) is pursuing a PhD from the Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, India. He received his MSc and BSc degree in physics from Jadavpur University in 2012 and 2010 respectively.polymer nanocomposite film
His research interest includes lead-free piezo-, pyro and ferroelectric energy harvesters and energy storage. Dr. rer. Nat. Dipankar Mandal (group leader/corresponding author) is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India.
He received a PhD in 2008 from BTU Cottbus, Germany. Prior to that he completed an MTech (Materials Science and Engineering) in 2004 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and an MSc (Physics) in 2002 from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India.
His research interests include the synthesis of advanced multifunctional materials, flexible electronics, piezo-, pyro-, and ferroelectric materials, electrospinning system development for next generation nanofibre fabrication, smart textiles, non-invasive biosensors for healthcare monitoring, and designing mechanical and thermal energy harvesters for self-powered devices.