Ultrahigh Energy Storage Performance of Layered Polymer Nanocomposites over a Broad Temperature Range

To reach the full potential of polymer dielectrics in advanced electronics and electrified transportation, it calls for efficient operation of high-energy-density dielectric polymers under high voltages over a wide temperature range. Here, the polymer composites consisting of the boron nitride nanosheet/polyetherimide and TiO2 nanorod arrays/polyetherimide layers are reported. The layered composite exhibits a much higher dielectric constant than the current high-temperature dielectric polymers and composites, while simultaneously retaining low dielectric loss at elevated temperatures and high applied fields. Consequently, the layered polymer composite presents much improved capacitive performance than the current dielectric polymers and composites over a temperature range of 25-150 °C. Moreover, the excellent capacitive performance of the layered composite is achieved at an applied field that is about 40% lower than the typical field strength of the current polymer composites with the discharged energy densities of >3 J cm-3 at 150 °C. Remarkable cyclability and dielectric stability are established in the layered polymer nanocomposites. This work addresses the current challenge in the enhancement of the energy densities of high-temperature dielectric polymers and demonstrates an efficient route to dielectric polymeric materials with high energy densities and low loss over a broad temperature range.