Thin Film Capacitors with Gradient Nanocomposite Layers

This work investigates the manufacturing and electrical properties of metalized film capacitors containing a gradient distribution of nanoparticles within the dielectric material. The dielectrics were fabricated via a patent-pending layer-by-layer deposition process using a polypropylene gel containing barium titanate (with a particle size of approximately 50 nm), silicon dioxide (around 8 nm), and combinations of both throughout the entire volume or in specific layers. The electrical properties of the resulting nanocomposite film capacitors were evaluated using dielectric spectroscopy and breakdown measurements to determine the energy density of each composition. The best performing architecture improved both the dielectric constant and the dielectric strength and overall doubled the energy density to 4.1 J cm(exp-3).