PPPS-2013: Comparison of dielectric materials for energy storage and microwave tuning for pulsed power applications

Among high dielectric constant materials being used for energy storage and tuning applications the dominant material for the last thirty years has been modified barium titanate. This is surprising since the requirements for tunable materials are very different from the energy storage ones. For the high energy storage dielectrics, it is required to extend high polarizability to as high field as possible while for tunable dielectrics as large a change in polarizability with field as possible are commonly desirable. In this presentation we will attempt to reconcile this apparent contradiction. We will also discuss alternative dielectrics for energy storage and tuning including composite materials. Interestingly, for the composites layered structures are very attractive for both applications but the preferred connectivity of phases for the energy storage is in series and for tunability is in parallel. We will present examples of tunable and energy storage materials based on our work in collaboration with TRS Technologies, Inc., University of Southhampton, and Sheffield University which were not presented at the prior pulsed power conferences.