Fabrication of novel thin film capacitor based on PVA/ZnO nanocomposites as dielectric material

A three-layer thin film capacitor was designed and fabricated with PVA/ZnO nanocomposite as dielectric material. Addition of ZnO nanoparticles showed change in dielectric constant, which varied with frequency and weight percentage. ZnO nanoparticles of weight percentage of 0.5% is chosen for the synthesis of nanoparticles with a grain size of 54 nm, using cost-effective and simple co-precipitation method. It is a low-cost method for large-scale production without impurities. The agglomeration was reduced by adding the starch molecules so that the O–H functional groups could hold together to the nanoparticles at the earlier nucleation stage and can be removed when purification by centrifugation is done. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed peaks due to the O–H groups in the polymer backbone, CH2 asymmetric and symmetric stretching, C–C stretching and Zn–O stretching, respectively, indicating formation of the proper film. From the profilometer, the thickness was calculated as 195.73 nm for the dielectric film. The fabricated device showed capacitance of 210 nF m−2 in par with the theoretical value (254.451 nF m−2) at 298 K.