Combining RAFT Polymerization and Thiol–Ene Click Reaction for Core–Shell Structured Polymer@BaTiO3 Nanodielectrics with High Dielectric Constant, Low Dielectric Loss, and High Energy Storage Capability

Abstract

Nanodielectric materials with high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and high energy storage capability are highly desirable in modern electric and electronics industries. It has been proved that the preparation of core-shell structured dielectric polymer nanocomposites via "grafting from" method is an effective approach to these materials. However, by using this approach, the deep understanding of the structure-dielectric property relationship of the core-shell structured nanodielectrics has been limited because of the lack of detailed information (e.g., molecular weight, grafting density) about the macromolecules grafted onto the nanoparticle surfaces. In this work, by the combination of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and thiol-ene click reaction, two types of core-shell structured polymer@BaTiO3 (polymer@BT) nanocomposites with high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss were successfully prepared via a "grafting to" method. Compared with the "grafting from" method, this "grafting to" method has two merits: the molecular weight of the polymer chains in the shell layer can be easily controlled and the grafting density can be tailored by changing the molecular weight of the grafting polymer. Moreover, a clear insight into the relationship among the dielectric properties and energy storage capability of the core-shell structured polymer@BT nanocomposites, the molecular weight of the polymer chains, and the grafting density of the core-shell structured nanoparticles was achieved. The study provides new insights into the design and preparation of nanodielectric materials with desirable dielectric properties.