Preparation and Characterization of Nylon 11/CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) Nanocomposites

Polymer-ceramic composites with improved properties find applications in microelectronics and electrical insulation. To obtain enhanced thermal characteristics and dielectric properties, attempts were made to prepare series of nylon 11/CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) nanocomposites, with 0 to 30 weight% CCTO nanoceramics, by solution casting method. These nanocomposites were characterized for X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermo gravimetric analysis and dielectric properties. XRD analysis indicated that the γ-phase of nylon 11 is present in the nylon 11 cast film and in the nylon 11/CCTO nanocomposites as well. Thermal stability of these nanocomposites was much improved than that of nylon 11. The nanocomposite with 20 wt% CCTO exhibited a room temperature dielectric permittivity of about 76 at 10 Hz. These nanocomposites due to their high permittivity can be prospective dielectric materials for capacitors application.