Effect of Mixing Time on Electrical and Dielectric Properties of PEO/OMMT Nanocomposites

Eduard Lysenkov, Sergiy Bilyi, Valeriy Klepko

Pre-print pages 1-20

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62753/https://doi.org/10.62753/ctp.2026.03.3.3

keywords: PEO/OMMT nanocomposites; dielectric spectroscopy; AC conductivity; dielectric relaxation; Jonscher model; scaling behavior

abstract The influence of the mixing time on the electrical and dielectric properties of poly(ethylene oxide)/organically modified montmorillonite (PEO/OMMT) nanocomposites prepared using a piston-type extrusion process was investigated by dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 100 kHz. The AC conductivity spectra were analyzed using the Jonscher universal power law, while impedance data were interpreted by means of equivalent-circuit modeling. Dielectric relaxation behavior was evaluated from the frequency dependences of the dielectric loss tangent. The results revealed a non-monotonic dependence of the electrical characteristics on the mixing time. The DC conductivity increased by more than two orders of magnitude and reached a maximum at 3 min of processing, whereas the bulk resistance and effective relaxation time exhibited corresponding minima. Analysis of the loss tangent spectra showed a significant shift in the characteristic relaxation frequency toward higher frequencies with increasing conductivity. Scaling analysis performed in normalized coordinates showed that the conductivity, impedance, and dielectric relaxation parameters collapse onto a common master curve, indicating that their evolution is governed by a common structural mechanism. The observed behavior was attributed to the competition between the development and subsequent reorganization of the dispersed OMMT structure during mechanical processing. An optimal mixing time of approximately 3 min was identified, corresponding to the most favorable electrical and dielectric performance of the nanocomposites.