Electroactive influence of ferroelectric nanofillers on polyamide 11 matrix properties

Barium titanate ceramic powders have been incorporated in polyamide 11 to form homogeneous dispersion of particles in the matrix. Barium titanate/polyamide 11 nanocomposites have been synthesized using a solvent casting method with ultrasonic stirring to homogeneously disperse inclusions in the matrix. Composites with volume fraction of barium titanate ϕ ranging from 0.01 to 0.4 were elaborated. Films were fabricated using a hot press method. Only the inclusions were poled in the matrix to form a ferroelectric particles/unpoled matrix composite. Interactions between the particles and the matrix, pyroelectric and piezoelectric response were studied as a function of ϕ by dynamic dielectric spectroscopy. Composites show interesting pyro-piezoelectric activity. Pyroelectric merit factor increases linearly and it reaches a limit value of 0.3 for a volume fraction ϕ = 0.1.