Polarization response of proton irradiated 0.9Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)03-0.1PbTiO₃/polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene 0-3 composites

Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene [P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 mol %] copolymer can be transformed from a normal ferroelectric to a relaxor ferroelectric material after proton irradiation. The phase transition peak broadens and shifts towards lower temperature as the measurement frequency decreases. The occurrence of a slim polarization-electric field loop is another evidence of the effect of proton irradiation. In the present study, 0-3 composites are fabricated by incorporating 0.9Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.1PbTiO3ceramic powder into a P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 mol % copolymer matrix. 0.9PMN-0.1PT ceramic is a relaxor ferroelectric with high dielectric permittivity. It was found that the relative permittivity of an unirradiated PMN-PT/P(VDF-TrFE) 0-3 composite increases with increasing ceramic volume fraction. With a dosage of 1000 kGy (where 1 Gy = 100 rad), the composite exhibits a broad peak in the relative permittivity. In the unirradiated composites, the remnant polarization increases gradually with PMN-PT volume fraction. After irradiation, the remnant polarization of the composites with different PMN-PT volume fractions is similar to that of the irradiated copolymer. Energy storage capabilities of the samples were evaluated which showed that proton irradiated composites have a potential for energy storage applications.