Lecture-15 - Dielectric Materials

Engineering Materials
By Dr. K. Vivekananda
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, FST, IFHE
Dielectric materials
A dielectric material is a poor conductor of electricity
but an efficient supporter of electrostatic fields. It
can store electrical charges, have a high specific resistance
and a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.
When a dielectric is placed in an electric field, the electric
charges do not flow through the material. Electric charges
slightly shift from their average equilibrium positions,
causing dielectric polarisation.
Dielectric polarisation causes positive charges to flow in
the direction of the field and negative charges to shift in
the opposite direction of the field.
This phenomenon yields an internal electric field, which in
turn reduces the overall electric field within the dielectric
material.
Electric susceptibility gives the measure of how easily a
dielectric material can be polarized when placed in an
electric field.
The polarisation of dielectric molecules when the electric field is applied.
Dielectric materials are mostly solids.
Some of the dielectrics are composed of weakly
bonded molecules. In such scenarios, along with
polarisation, we can also observe that
molecules reorient themselves to align their
symmetry axes with the field.
Dielectric materials are used to store energy.
These materials exist in solid, liquid and
gaseous forms.
Some examples of dielectric materials are:
Solid Dielectrics – Ceramic, Plastic, Mica, and
Glass.
Dielectric Liquid – Distilled Water.
Dielectric Gas – Dry Air, vacuum, nitrogen and
helium.
Properties of Dielectric Material
Following are the exhibits of dielectric materials:
The energy gap in the dielectric materials is very
large.
The temperature coefficient of resistance is negative
and the insulation resistance is high.
The dielectric materials have high resistivity.
The attraction between the electrons and the parent
nucleus is very strong.
The electrical conductivity of these materials is very
low as there are no free electrons to carry current.
What are Dielectric Properties?
Dielectric properties of materials are defined as a
molecular property that is fundamental in all the
materials that are capable of impending electron
movement, resulting in polarisation within the material
What are Dielectric Properties of Insulation?
Following are the dielectric properties of
insulation:
Breakdown voltage
Dielectric parameters such as:
Conductivity
Power factor
Loss angle
Permittivity
What are Dielectric Properties of Solids?

Following are the dielectric properties of solids:
Piezoelectricity
Pyroelectricity
Ferroelectricity
Anti ferroelectricity
Difference between Dielectric and Insulators
Dielectrics Insulators
Material that can develop an A substance that has low

electric field with minimal loss conductivity and that which
of energy is known as a obstructs the flow of current is
dielectric. known as an insulator.
Weakly bonded as compared to
Covalently bonded.
insulators.
Store charges. Obstructs charges.
Their application lies in power They are used in high voltage

cables, capacitors and more. systems and conducting wires.
Application of Dielectric Properties
Dielectrics are used as a capacitor for storing
energy.
The dielectric material in a transformer is used
as an insulator and as a cooling agent.
To enhance the performance of a semiconductor
device, high permittivity dielectric materials are
used.
Electrets are a processed dielectric material
that acts as an electrostatic equivalent to
magnets.
Define polarization of a dielectric material.
The polarization of dielectric material is defined
as the process of production of electrical dipoles
inside the dielectric by the application of an
external electrical field.
Dielectric Constant Value
Thus, the value of the dielectric constant is
crucial in building various electronic components.
The following table gives some typical values of
Dielectric Materials Dielectric Constant Value
dielectric constants:
The dielectric constant of vacuum 1.00
The dielectric constant of air 1.00059
The dielectric constant of water 80
The dielectric constant of paper 3.6

The Theory Behind Dielectric Constant
This is a prime parameter to characterize a capacitor.
A capacitor is an electronic component designed to
store electric charge. This is widely built by
sandwiching a dielectric insulating plate in between
the metal conducting plates. The dielectric property
plays a major role in the functioning of a capacitor.
The layer made up of dielectric material decides, how
effectively the capacitor can store the charge. Picking
the right dielectric material is crucial. Thus, we can
also define it as ‘the ratio of the electric field without
a dielectric(E0) to the net field with a dielectric(E).’
Here, the value of E0 is always greater than or
equal to E. Thus, The value of a dielectric constant
is always greater than 1.
The greater the value of κ the more charge can be
stored in a capacitor.
In the capacitor, the capacitance is given by C =
κC0
Thus, filling the gap between the plates completely
by dielectric material will increase its capacitance
by the factor of the dielectric constant value.
Factors Affecting Dielectric Constant
The dielectric constant depends on various factors such as:
Frequency: The frequency of the applied voltage is one of
the factors affecting dielectric constant. As the frequency of
the applied voltage increases, the value of the dielectric
constant becomes non-linear.
Applied voltage: When a direct current voltage is applied,
the value of the dielectric constant reduces while applying
alternating current voltage would increase the value of the
dielectric constant.
Temperature: When the temperature is low, the alignment
of the molecules in the dielectric material is difficult. By
increasing the temperature, the dipoles in the dielectric
material become dominant resulting in an increase in the
dielectric constant. This temperature is known as the
transition temperature. If the temperature rises above the
transition temperature, then there will be a gradual
decrease in the dielectric constant.
Humidity and moisture: The strength of the
dielectric material decreases when either the
humidity or the moisture is increased.
Heating effect: When the dielectric material is
heated, the dielectric loss takes place. Dielectric
loss is defined as the dissipation of energy in the
form of heat when there is a movement of the
molecules in the material, as it is exposed to the
alternating current voltage. This takes place as
the material absorbs electrical energy.
The structure and morphology of the material
also influence the dielectric constant.
Deterioration and weathering of the material
also affect the dielectric constant.

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Engineering Materials

What are Dielectric Properties of Solids?

Material that can develop an A substance that has low

Store charges. Obstructs charges.

Their application lies in power They are used in high voltage

The dielectric constant of air 1.00059

The dielectric constant of water 80

The dielectric constant of paper 3.6

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