Evaluating the effect of particle distribution and dispersion on the dielectric response of boron nitride - epoxy nanocomposites

In this study, an attempt to experimentally evaluate the interaction between the fillers and base material has been made. The main goal was to investigate the effect of particle dispersion and distribution on the dielectric response of nanocomposites. Two different synthesis techniques were used to produce boron nitride - epoxy nanocomposites. In both techniques, surface modified particles were used and their effective modification was verified with the use of a diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy analysis. A scanning electron microscopy analysis of the nanocomposites showed that the two techniques led to a different particle distribution and dispersion but the dielectric response does not show a significant variation. It seems that the latter is mainly affected by the filler concentration rather than the synthesis technique. Therefore, the samples produced with different methods and same filler concentration exhibit the same trend while there are slight differences between their dielectric response. Finally, the effect of humidity on the dielectric response of nanocomposites is discussed.