Abstract
A unique method has been introduced to measure the dielectric constant of polymer/ceramic composites using an effective medium instead of using the general methods of preparing bulk sintered pellets or films. In this work, a new and a simple method has been applied to measure the dielectric constant of polyvinyl cyanoethylate/barium titanate composites. The results are obtained by dispersing the ceramic powders in the polymer of a relatively low dielectric constant value. The dielectric constant of the composites is measured with varying ceramic volume percentages. The obtained results are compared with the many available theoretical models that are generally in practice to predict the dielectric constant of the composites. Then these results are extrapolated to comprehend the dielectric constant values of ceramic particles as these values form the base for the design of the composite. The precision and simplicity of the method can be exploited for predictions of the properties of nanostructure ferroelectric polymer/ceramic composites. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.