Dielectric materials, design, and realization

It has been the dream of many scientists to create polymeric materials which exhibit simultaneously high dielectric permittivity, low glass transition temperature, and excellent elastic properties. Such materials would be a highly attractive dielectric in electromechanical transducers. Within this topic we are focusing on silicones because of their excellent elastic properties over wide temperature and frequency ranges combined with low glass transition temperatures. To increase their low permittivity, we followed different approaches which include: blending the matrix with highly polarizable conductive and polar nanofillers and chemical modification with polar side groups. This presentation will show the advantages and disadvantages of the two strategies we have been following and will provide an assessment of their future potential.

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