Enhanced dielectric permittivity of BaTiO3/epoxy resin composites by particle alignment

Barium titanate (BaTiO3)/epoxy resin composites with a novel structure, in which the BaTiO3 particles were directionally aligned in the epoxy resin matrix, were fabricated using the ice-templating method. The effects of the filler particle alignment and the filler fraction on the dielectric permittivity as well as the dielectric loss of the composites were studied. The results show that the aligning filler particles can significantly improve the dielectric permittivity while maintaining the dielectric loss compared with the traditional composite structure (homogeneously distributed). Due to the feasibility of the enhancement of the dielectric properties of the composites, the particle alignment that is achieved via the ice-templating method can be used in the field of high energy density capacitors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.