Dielectric properties of UV-cured epoxy films treated with Layer-by-Layer nanosilica architectures

This paper focuses on the preparation and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic epoxy systems obtained through the application of a Layer by Layer (LbL) assembly on a UV-cured epoxy coating. To this aim, a mixture 90/10 (wt.%) of 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3’,4’-epoxy-cyclo-hexane carboxylate (CE)/diglycidylether-terminated polydi-methyl-siloxane (GTPDMS) was subjected to LbL deposition of 10 and 20 bilayers of silica (positively charged/negatively charged). The relationship between the dielectric properties and transition temperature (Tg) were investigated. Two dielectric relaxation modes namely alpha and beta were observed, attributed to the molecular motions of the polymer chains. The breakdown voltage decreased with increasing number of nanosilica bilayers deposited.