Modeling of polymer nanocomposites: Permittivity vs. electric field intensity

The use of polymer nanocomposites - a material system composed of nanometer-sized fillers (nanofillers) homogeneously dispersed in polymers - is predicted to be capable of enhancing the performance of electrical insulation systems without compromising the thermal, mechanical and economic requirements. This is believed to be related to the much smaller size of the fillers, which subsequently leads to the presence of an extensive interphase - an interaction zone between the nanofiller and the polymer. Nevertheless, understanding of the concept of interphase within nanocomposites is unsatisfactory and, consequently, many experimental results remain unexplained. This paper attempts to model a polymer nanocomposite system, in particular, in relation to the effects of permittivity of a nanometer-sized particle and its interphase on the electric field distribution within the resulting nanocomposites. Results show that varying the permittivity of the nanoparticle and the interphase will result in increased or reduced electric field intensity within the nanocomposites. This will help to clarify the effects of the nanometre-sized particle and its interphase on the electric field distribution within nanocomposites, and determine appropriate combinations of nanofiller/polymer for different dielectric applications.