Costello B., Davis J.A.
Georgia Institute of Technology, US
Keywords: Capacitors, composite materials, energy storage, nanopar- ticles, simulation
To understand the limits and opportunities of nanoparti- cle (NP) composite materials, it is imperative to better un- derstand the heterogeneous electric field distributions within such materials. Using a custom-built simulator, the electric field is simulated and used to compute the effective permit- tivity, breakdown field strength, and maximum energy den- sity for over 1500 randomly generated NP geometries. The parameters of the geometries simulated in this work are mod- eled after measured composites, and are used for verification [1]. In addition, the variability of key electrical parameters is characterized, and the microstructure of the simulated com- posite is categorized as percolating, near-percolating, or non- percolating. Initial conclusions of this analysis reveal that the highest energy density samples have a non-percolating configuration in a volume fraction range from 20% to 40%. These geometries exhibit up to a 14% increase in energy density compared to a pure Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) sample.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: TechConnect Briefs 2019
Published: June 17, 2019
Pages: 151 - 154
Industry sector: Energy & Sustainability
Topics: Catalysis, Energy Storage
ISBN: 978-0-9988782-8-7