Nanodielectrics - How Much Do We Really Understand? [Feature Article]

This article aims to provide an introductory overview of the topic of nanocomposites, with a particular emphasis on their use in electrical applications in which their dielectric response is likely to be of importance. Composites are widely used engineering materials because of the enhancement in properties that can result from combining a number of distinct components. Reducing the size of the filler particles into the submicron range can overcome such problems and influence combinations of properties in a complex and often non-intuitive manner. It is this that has resulted in the rapid expansion of nanocomposites research in recent years.