Preparation and characterization of polyimide/zirconia composite films

In this study, the characteristics of polyimide (PI)/ZrO2 composite films with various amounts of ZrO2 were evaluated for electronic applications. The modifier 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate was added during composite preparation to disperse the ZrO2 particles in the polyimide matrix. For the composites with the addition of the modifier, the dielectric constant steadily increases with the ZrO2 content, which is due to the uniform distribution of dispersed ZrO2 particles in the polyimide matrix, whereas for composites without the addition of the modifier, the dielectric constant decreases with ZrO2 content due to agglomeration of ZrO2. Water absorption of the composite containing the modifier significantly drops to a level of 0.68 wt.% as the ZrO2 content exceeds 6 wt.%. The addition of the modifier in the blending process provides an alternative route to prepare deagglomerated and homogeneously distributed inorganic particles in the PI matrix, as compared to the sol-gel route.