Novel Metal-Oxide-NPs-Doped Polymers: Structural and Dielectric Properties for Flexible Pressure Sensors

Abstract

Biodegradable polymer blend-inorganic metal-oxide nanoparticles' semiconductor for novel pressure sensors with low cost, lightweight and good sensitivity is investigated. Biodegradable blend prepared from polyvinyl alcohol and starch with following weight percentage: polyvinyl alcohol (85 wt.% PVA) and starch (15 wt.% ST). The influence of lead-oxide nanoparticles' concentration on the structural and dielectric properties of (PVA-ST) blend is studied. The dielectric properties of (PVA-ST-PbO 2 ) nanocomposites are studied in frequency range from 100 Hz to 5 MHz. The results show that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of (PVA-ST-PbO 2 ) nanocomposites decrease with increasing of frequency of applied electric field. The A.C. electrical conductivity of (PVA-ST-PbO 2 ) nanocomposites increases with increase in frequency. The dielectric parameters of (PVA-ST) blend (dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and A.C. electrical conductivity) increase with increase in lead-oxide nanoparticles' weight percentage. The nanocomposites are tested for pressure sensors. The experimental results show that the (PVA-ST-PbO 2 ) nanocomposites have high sensitivity for pressure, and the electrical resistance of nanocomposites decreases with increases in applied pressure.