This SBIR program will develop a highly non-linear polymer-ceramic nanocomposite capable of operation at >1 GHz. Highly non-linear, nanocrystalline ceramic dielectric particles will by synthesized via sol-gel processing. We will control the chemical composition and particle size to obtain nanosize particles with a high dielectric constant (e>1000), low loss (<0.005) and short relaxation time (<1 ns). We will employ a novel processing method to produce nanocomposites with >70% volume dielectric material that are well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The proposed processing technique can be used to produce mechanically strong complex shapes and large size composites (>1 m length) for pulse forming or nonlinear transmission lines. In Phase I, we will determine the effect of the chemical composition and particle size of the nanodielectric material on the dielectric properties of the polymer-ceramic nanocomposite. The breakdown strength, loss, dielectric constant, and non-linearity of the nancomposite will be measured at 100 MHz to 1 THz. In Phase II, we will determine the exact nanodielectric composition and particle size that results in a polymer-ceramic composite with the highest dielectric constant, lowest loss, and shortest relaxation times.
Keywords: Nanocomposite, Nanodielectric, Non-Linear Dielectrics, Nonlinear Transmission Lines, Polymer Matrix, Sol-Gel
