A study of the structure and dielectric properties of nanocomposites based on polypropylene and zirconia nanoparticles

New nanocomposite structures based on isotactic polypropylene and zirconia nanoparticles are developed; the distribution of the zirconia nanoparticles is studied by optical (Motic AE 30/31) and scanning electron microscopy (Carl Zeiss). It is shown that, during the direct introduction of nanopowders into the polymer matrix, the powder nanoparticles form cluster-like fractal structures in the form of dendrites even at the first stage of mixing of the components. The electron microscopy study of the samples shows that the developed technique for preparing nanocomposites makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous distribution of zirconia nanoparticles in the matrix of polypropylene. The dielectric characteristics of nanocomposites based on polypropylene and zirconia are studied. It is found that the dielectric permeability in PP + ZrO₂ nanocomposites varies as a function of the frequency owing to the low-frequency polarization.