Polymer-Nanocrystal Nanocomposite Capacitors and Their Applications in Energy Storage

Nanocomposite metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors are of great interest due to the possibility of reducing the number of discrete components in printed circuit boards, and alternatively using embedded or directly printed capacitors in conjunction with integrated circuits. Flexible substrates also become candidates when employing low processing temperatures. In addition to compatibility with nanomanufacturing, the prospect of designing a nanocomposite dielectric, by combining colloidal nanoparticle fillers and polymer hosts, lends itself very well to the idea of tunability of the mechanical and electrical properties. A parallel plate capacitor is a deceptively simple device concept that quickly evolves into a complex problem when considering how components can be assembled into the dielectric layer to optimize for comprehensive performance, as a function of capacitance, frequency, voltage, leakage, dissipation loss and ESR. Our work in solution processing of inorganic oxide dielectrics and multiferroics, using a modified sol-gel approach allows for the preparation of a variety of formulations that can be treated as inks for deposition as layers and/or for the design of novel nanocomposite films.