Ultrahigh dielectric strength biotronic capacitors based on sol-gel/DNA-CTMA blends

As the power demands of airborne sensor platforms increase there is a growing need for improved capacitor technologies for compact energy storage.  While progress has been made on electrolytic supercapacitors as well as nanocomposite composites, an ultrahigh dielectric strength capacitor with high dielectric constant and compatibility with a broad range of associated materials technologies is still lacking.  We propose to develop organically modified sol-gel/DNA-CTMA blends for use in thin film biotronic capacitors based upon our initial observation of a dielectric breakdown strength of over 1200 volts per micron for a 95/5 blend, nearly an order of magnitude higher than observed for common dielectric polymers.  DNA-CTMA is known to have a dielectric constant of approximately 8 at low frequencies, while the sol-gel dielectric constant is tunable with sol-gel composition and can range from approximately 5 to as high as 30.  At the same time, we have developed the ability to dope sol-gels with high dielectric constant nanoparticles that provide for even higher dielectric constants, as well as fine-tuning of other materials properties.  The proposed composites can be deposited from solution and only low temperature processing is used, further enhancing the capability for integration with other Air Force electronics and photonics technologies. BENEFIT: The growing energy demands of modern society and the desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels have created an intense interest in new technologies that can impact the energy equation.  Energy storage is a key function of any energy system and capacitors are the workhorses of energy storage in electrical systems, thus improvements in capacitor technology will impact the efficiency, size and cost of those systems.  Furthermore, emerging flexible optoelectronics technologies such as organic electronics demand the development of subcomponent approaches, such as thin film capacitors, with high performance, low cost, and excellent compatibility with other materials.  The proposed biotronic capacitors have the ability to fulfill all of these requirements.