Dielectric property determination of hybrid Al2O3-filled MWCNT buckypaper by the rectangular cavity perturbation technique

Abstract

This study investigated the complex dielectric permittivity of freestanding multiwalled carbon nanotube buckypaper (MWCNT-BP) and a synthesized hybrid alumina-filled buckypaper (Al2O3-BP) composite with different alumina loadings (5-30 wt%). The non-destructive microwave transmission technique for complex permittivity determination involving cavity perturbation was employed to characterize a set of Al2O3-BP sheets. This was done by filling a rectangular cavity resonator with a standard dielectric Teflon sample and then performing permittivity measurements for the buckypaper (BP) samples in the X-band frequency range (7-12 GHz). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to analyze the morphology of the MWCNT-BP and the alumina-loaded BP composites. DC electrical resistivity measurements clearly demonstrated conductor-insulator transition. The effect of alumina loadings on the dielectric properties of the synthesized hybrid Al2O3-BP sheet is discussed.