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The effects of water on the dielectric properties of silicon based nanocomposites

The effects of water on the dielectric properties of silicon based nanocomposites
The effects of water on the dielectric properties of silicon based nanocomposites
A series of polyethylene-based nanocomposites was prepared, utilizing silicon nitride or silicon dioxide (silica) nano-powders, and the effect of filler loading and conditioning (i.e. water content) on their morphology and electrical properties was examined. The addition of nano-silicon nitride led to systems that were free of obvious nanoparticle aggregates, whereas the nano-silica based systems showed evidence of aggregation up to the micrometer-scale. While the nano-silicon nitride composites remained essentially dry under ambient conditions, the nano-silica-based composites absorbed appreciable quantities of water from the ambient environment, indicating that interactions with water are dependent on the nanoparticle surface chemistry. Dielectric spectroscopy showed a broad relaxation peak due to adsorbed water at nanoparticle surfaces, which shifted to higher frequencies with increased water content. Similarly, the electrical conductivity was found to be highly sensitive to the presence of absorbed water, particularly for systems containing well dispersed nanoparticles. We conclude that, in nanodielectric applications, nanoparticle surface chemistry is important in determining macroscopic properties, and not just as a means of compatibilizing the filler and the matrix. Additional factors can be critical, here, as exemplified by interactions with water.
169-179
Hosier, Ian L.
6a44329e-b742-44de-afa7-073f80a78e26
Praeger, Matthew
84575f28-4530-4f89-9355-9c5b6acc6cac
Vaughan, Alun S.
6d813b66-17f9-4864-9763-25a6d659d8a3
Swingler, Steve G.
4f13fbb2-7d2e-480a-8687-acea6a4ed735
Hosier, Ian L.
6a44329e-b742-44de-afa7-073f80a78e26
Praeger, Matthew
84575f28-4530-4f89-9355-9c5b6acc6cac
Vaughan, Alun S.
6d813b66-17f9-4864-9763-25a6d659d8a3
Swingler, Steve G.
4f13fbb2-7d2e-480a-8687-acea6a4ed735

Hosier, Ian L., Praeger, Matthew, Vaughan, Alun S. and Swingler, Steve G. (2017) The effects of water on the dielectric properties of silicon based nanocomposites. IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, 16 (2), 169-179. (doi:10.1109/TNANO.2016.2642819).

Record type: Article

Abstract

A series of polyethylene-based nanocomposites was prepared, utilizing silicon nitride or silicon dioxide (silica) nano-powders, and the effect of filler loading and conditioning (i.e. water content) on their morphology and electrical properties was examined. The addition of nano-silicon nitride led to systems that were free of obvious nanoparticle aggregates, whereas the nano-silica based systems showed evidence of aggregation up to the micrometer-scale. While the nano-silicon nitride composites remained essentially dry under ambient conditions, the nano-silica-based composites absorbed appreciable quantities of water from the ambient environment, indicating that interactions with water are dependent on the nanoparticle surface chemistry. Dielectric spectroscopy showed a broad relaxation peak due to adsorbed water at nanoparticle surfaces, which shifted to higher frequencies with increased water content. Similarly, the electrical conductivity was found to be highly sensitive to the presence of absorbed water, particularly for systems containing well dispersed nanoparticles. We conclude that, in nanodielectric applications, nanoparticle surface chemistry is important in determining macroscopic properties, and not just as a means of compatibilizing the filler and the matrix. Additional factors can be critical, here, as exemplified by interactions with water.

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TNANO-00300-2016-FinalVersion.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 December 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 December 2016
Published date: 1 March 2017
Organisations: Electronics & Computer Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 404044
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404044
PURE UUID: 6a6ffb24-49c9-439c-a1d2-e02060bb3029
ORCID for Ian L. Hosier: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4365-9385
ORCID for Matthew Praeger: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5814-6155
ORCID for Alun S. Vaughan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0535-513X

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Date deposited: 20 Dec 2016 09:11
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:59

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Contributors

Author: Ian L. Hosier ORCID iD
Author: Matthew Praeger ORCID iD
Author: Alun S. Vaughan ORCID iD
Author: Steve G. Swingler

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