“Materials with a high dielectric constant, so-called high-k-materials, are highly sought after,” said Professor Tanja Schilling, head of the research project at the Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication of the University of Luxembourg.
The dielectric properties of the compound material occur as a result of its liquid crystal properties impeding the arrangement of graphene flakes into a conducting structure. So when an electric current is supplied, it does not flow directly through the compound, but instead generates a strong electric field. While in other compound materials the current permeable effect is the dominant one, the Luxembourg physicists have demonstrated mathematically that, in this case, the liquid crystal properties play the major role and are responsible for the unexpected electric properties.
The ability to produce an electric field inside the material is a fundamental property of efficient capacitors.
The chemicals company Solvay, partner of the research project, now wants to continue the research around this high-k-material, aiming to produce synthetics for particularly efficient capacitors and further applications in the future.
