Functionalization of Polypropylene with High Dielectric Properties: Applications in Electric Energy Storage

Abstract

Biaxial-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) thin films are currently used as dielectrics in state-of-the-art capacitors that show many advantages, such as low energy loss and high breakdown strength, but a limited energy density (<2 J/cm3). This paper reviews some of our experimental results in functionalization of polypropylene with the objective to increase its electric energy density and maintain all desirable properties. A family of PP copolymers with various moieties, such as OH, O-Si(CH3)3, long chain branching, and cross-linking structure, have been systematically synthesized and studied to examine their dielectric properties (i.e. dielectric constant, dielectric loss, breakdown strength, polarization under various temperatures and electric fields). Evidently, a high molecular weight poly(propylene-co-hexen-6-ol) copolymer (PP-OH) containing 4.2 mol% of polar OH groups shows a dielectric constant (ε) of about 4.6 (more than 2 times of BOPP)—which is independent on a wide range of temperatures and frequencies—and high breakdown strength > 600 MV/m. The PP-OH dielectric demonstrates a linear reversible charge storage behavior with high releasing energy density > 7 J/cm3 (2 - 3 times of BOPP) after an applied electric field at E = 600 MV/m, without showing any significant increase of energy loss and remnant polarization at zero electric field. On the other hand, a cross-linked polypropylene (x-PP) exhibits an ε ~ 3, which is independent of a wide range of temperatures and frequencies, slim polarization loops, high breakdown strength (E = 650 MV/m), narrow breakdown distribution, and reliable energy storage capacity > 5 J/cm3 (double that of state-of-the-art BOPP capacitors), without showing any increase in energy loss.