A Scalable, High-Throughput, and Environmentally Benign Approach to Polymer Dielectrics Exhibiting Significantly Improved Capacitive Performance at High Temperatures

High-temperature capability is critical for polymer dielectrics in the next-generation capacitors demanded in harsh-environment electronics and electrical-power applications. It is well recognized that the energy-storage capabilities of dielectrics are degraded drastically with increasing temperature due to the exponential increase of conduction loss. Here, a general and scalable method to enable significant improvement of the high-temperature capacitive performance of the current polymer dielectrics is reported. The high-temperature capacitive properties in terms of discharged energy density and the charge–discharge efficiency of the polymer films coated with SiO₂ via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition significantly outperform the neat polymers and rival or surpass the state-of-the-art high-temperature polymer nanocomposites that are prepared by tedious and low-throughput methods. Moreover, the surface modification of the dielectric films is carried out in conjunction with fast-throughput roll-to-roll processing under ambient conditions. The entire fabrication process neither involves any toxic chemicals nor generates any hazardous by-products. The integration of excellent performance, versatility, high productivity, low cost, and environmental friendliness in the present method offers an unprecedented opportunity for the development of scalable high-temperature polymer dielectrics.