Dielectric properties of epoxy-Al2O3 nanocomposites

Abstract

Epoxy based nanocomposites have drawn much interest in the field of dielectrics due to their excellent electrical properties. In this paper, the dielectric properties of epoxy-Al2O3 nanocomposites were studied at different filler concentrations by weight (0.5%-10%). The nanocomposite samples with good dispersion of nanoparticles were prepared using silane coupling agent and experiments were performed to measure the dielectric spectrum, dc volume resistance, and arc resistance time. The dielectric permittivities were analyzed in detail with respect to different frequencies and temperatures. The results demonstrated that the dielectric permittivities of nanocomposites were higher than the pure and the introduction of Al2O3 nano-fillers reduce the volume resistances of composites. In addition, enhancements of composites' arc resistance had been observed at low filler loading. The interesting characteristics of nanocomposites are attributed to the interface effects and the interactions between the nanoparticles and epoxy resin.