Polysilane–Barium Titanate Polymeric Composite Obtained through Ultrasonication

Abstract

This work describes the synthesis of a polysilane (PSH)–barium titanate (BT) ferroelectric polymer composite that keeps stable in the presence of ultraviolet light (UV). To evaluate the stability in the presence of UV radiation and the mechanism of interaction between the PSH matrix and BT, FTIR measurements were carried out. The UV/VIS absorption measurement reveals that PSH absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet range, while the composite behaves similarly to BT. Although PSH is a semiconductor, the dielectric spectrometry analysis determined that BT is a ferroelectric material due to its high dielectric constant and low dielectric losses. In contrast to the polymer matrix, the composite polymer has a greater dielectric constant and a lower loss permittivity. PSH is a semiconductor, as indicated by its electrical conductivity of 10−5 S/cm; nevertheless, the UV-irradiated polymer has antistatic properties (10−8 S/cm). Irradiated or not, the polymer composite is a semiconductor, with conductivity of 10−6 S/cm, significantly lower than that of PSH. The interaction with electromagnetic radiation indicates electromagnetic shielding behavior for both BT (highest absorption magnitude of −57 dB) and the polymer composite (maximum absorption magnitudes range from 8.4 to −15.2 dB). Based on these research results, the novel composite with specific characteristics may be used in electronic applications in UV-irradiated conditions.