Enhanced electrical properties of insulating materials containing nanoscale filler particles
(nanocomposites) are attributed to an interfacial area that is formed between the polymer
matrix of the base material and the filler particles. So far the interfacial area could not be
made visible. The two materials investigated in this study are based on the same silicone
matrix material and either contain filler particles of the type F1 or filler particles of the
type F2, both of them having nearly the same primary particle diameter. Differences in
the electrical properties of the two materials are interpreted by an interfacial area that is
larger around filler particles of the type F1 than around filler particles of the type F2. To
gain an insight into the interfacial area the two materials were investigated by Atomic
Force Microscopy (AFM) and Electric Force Microscopy (EFM). In the EFM images the
both types of filler particles appear larger in the composite material than they do when
they are not embedded in the composite material. This difference is explained by an
interfacial area that surrounds both types of filler particles if they are embedded in the
base material. As the particles of the type F1 appear significantly larger than the particles
of the type F2 in the EFM images it can be concluded that the interfacial area around the
filler particles of the type F1 is larger than the interfacial area around the filler particles
of the type F2. By the combination of electrical measurements, their interpretation with
models and AFM and EFM measurements the existence of the interfacial area in the
investigated nanocomposites could be proven. The measurement results also give a hint
on the nature of the interfacial area which could either be charge carriers forming an
electrical double layer around the nanoparticles or a change in morphology of the
polymer surrounding the particles by polymer-filler interaction resulting in a change of
permittivity of the surrounding polymer region. Most notably the interfacial area could
be made visible by EFM measurements.
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Enhanced electrical properties of insulating materials containing nanoscale filler particles
(nanocomposites) are attributed to an interfacial area that is formed between the polymer
matrix of the base material and the filler particles. So far the interfacial area could not be
made visible. The two materials investigated in this study are based on the same silicone
matrix material and either contain filler particles of the type F1 or filler particles of the
type F2, both of them having near...
»
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