Enhanced energy storage performance in a PVDF/PMMA/TiO₂ blending nanodielectric material

The growing demand for miniaturization of electrical and electronic system poses a great challenge on energy storage capacitors, which requires associated dielectric materials exhibiting high energy density. In ferroelectric polymer dielectrics, it is one of the key issues to achieve both high dielectric permittivity and high breakdown strength. In this paper, we propose a method on improving the dielectric permittivity and breakdown strength concurrently taking the advantage of nanocomposite and blending. Our results show that PVDF/PMMA/TiO₂ blending nanodielectric material presents improved relative dielectric permittivity of 12 and breakdown strength of 387 kV/mm compared with pristine PVDF, leading to an enhanced energy density about 5.8 J/cm³ and an efficiency of 77%. Further electric properties measurements and structure characterizations indicate that the moderate enhancement of permittivity can be ascribed to the doping of TiO₂ nanoparticles, and the improved breakdown strength is caused by blending of PMMA with good insulating properties. Our results might provide a promising approach to develop high-performance energy-storage dielectric materials concerning the synergistic effect of blending and nanocomposite.