Design approach to particulate-based Multifunctional Polymer Composite materials

This paper presents a study on the effect of electrostatic interactions between adjacent dielectric particles. Multifunctional polymer composite materials include a low permittivity matrix material, typically polymer, with dielectric (piezoelectric/ferroelectric) inclusions dispersed throughout. The high permittivity of the inclusions leads to an electric field concentration in the matrix. Interparticle electrostatic interactions arise due to the presence of charged particles in the matrix. These interactions affect the overall properties of the composite. This issue has led to an increasing interest in the electrical properties of multifunctional polymer composite materials. Based on closed-form solution for single inclusion geometries, Finite Element Method (FEM) models are validated. Additional particles of the same geometry are introduced. The electrostatic interactions between particles and the electric field distribution in the composite are studied. Different configurations of particles are presented as well as different particles sizes to assess the effect on the electric field within the particles.