Metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films from disposable scrap tire powder/poly-ε-caprolactone for advanced electrical energy (capacitor) applications

Here, energy harvesting nanocomposite films (MOPCFs) were developed from disposable scrap tire rubber (STR) and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) via simple solvent evaporation and hot compression molding methods. The metal-oxide impregnated polymeric nanocomposite films (MOPCFs) were derived by the inclusion of ZnO, CuO, CuO_0.5-ZnO nanoparticles. The properties of the MOPCFs obtained were studied by FTIR, XRD, TGA/DSC and SEM techniques. The dielectric properties of the MOPCF were tested by using impedance analyzer. The dielectric properties suggested that the STR/PCL/ZnO film has significant dielectric constant (ɛ′, energy storage) and dielectric loss (ɛ″, energy loss) capacities when compared to other films. Ferroelectric/memory storage capacity of the nanocomposites were measured by polarization as a function of electric field, which explained the fact STR/PCL/ZnO has 88.710 V coercive field and a 0.1664 μC/cm² remanence polarization, indicates efficient ferroelectric capacity at room temperature. These results suggest that STR/PCL/ZnO nanocomposite will be useful for electric energy applications as capacitors and advanced energy harvesters.