Flexible polydimethylsiloxane–La2Ba2XZn2Ti3O14 (X = Mg/Ca/Sr)
[PDMS–LBT]
nanocomposites with high permittivity (dielectric constant, k) are prepared through a room-temperature mixing process.
The LBT nanoparticles used in this study are prepared through a high-temperature
solid-state reaction. It is observed that LBT (X = Mg/Ca) nanoparticles
are spherical in nature, with particle size ∼20 nm, as observed
from the HRTEM images, whereas LBT (X = Sr) nanoparticles are cubical
in nature with particle size ≥100 nm. These LBT (X = Mg/Ca/Sr)
nanoparticles are crystalline in nature, as apparent from the XRD
analysis and SAED patterns. The permittivity of LBT nanoparticles
is higher when “Ca” is present in place of “X”.
These three oxides show a temperature-dependent dielectric behavior,
where LBT nanoparticles with “Sr” show a sharp change
in permittivity at a temperature of ∼105 °C. These kinds
of oxide materials, especially LBT (X = Sr) nanoparticles/oxides,
can be used in dielectric/resistive switching devices. The effect
of LBT nanoparticle concentration on the dielectric and mechanical
properties of PDMS–LBT nanocomposites is widely studied and
found that there is a significant increase in dielectric constant
with an increase in the concentration of LBT nanoparticles. There
is a decrease in the volume resistivity with the increase in the LBT
nanoparticle concentration. All the PDMS–LBT nanocomposites
have low dielectric loss (ε″) compared to the dielectric
constant value. It is found that both permittivity (ε′)
and AC conductivity (σac) of PDMS–LBT composites
are increased with the temperature at a frequency of 1 Hz. The % elongation at break (% EB) and tensile strength
(TS) decrease with the LBT nanoparticle concentration in the matrix
PDMS, which is due to the non-reinforcing behavior of LBT nanoparticles.
The distribution and dispersion of LBT nanoparticles in the matrix
PDMS are observed through HRTEM and AFM/SPM.