Abstract
In order to meet the continuously increasing demand of modern electronic industries, there is an urgent need to develop the advanced energy storage materials. In this regard, polymer-based dielectric composites are promising materials for futuristic technological applications. Herein, we synthesized a (1 - x) PVDF + xBFO composite by means of sol-gel auto-combustion route to explore its energy storage capabilities using impedance spectroscopy. After synthesis, field emission scanning electron microscope was utilized to examine exterior texture and obtained images showed the uniform distribution of BiFeO3 particles in polyvinylidene fluoride matrix with considerable amount of porosity. The particle size was measured using the ImageJ software. In conjunction with scanning electron microscopy, the stoichiometric amounts of all constituents were confirmed using energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy, working on the measurement of relative abundance of X-rays vs their energy. Dielectric traits of these polymer composite ceramics were explored using precision impedance analyzer with varying frequency from 20 Hz to 20 MHz which explored their energy storage potential. The analysis of Nyquist plot helped to define the range of impedance spectrum where the different electroactive regions participated significantly in impedance response of the material. The effect of reinforcement contents on the nature of hopping length and relaxation phenomenon was probed through the complex modulus analysis. The energy storage capacity in terms of energy density was analyzed by checking the polarization response of the composite material in varying electric field which is a key feature for grading a material for energy storage devices.