Hydrated zirconia nanoparticles as media for electrical charge accumulation

This study is devoted to creating media for the accumulation of electrical energy based on zirconia nanoparticles. The effect of charge accumulation by compacted zirconia nanoparticles, the manifestation of which depends on the size of the particles and the degree of hydration of their surface, was found. It is shown that for the system of hydrated nanoparticles, the formation of the dielectric constant of the entire structure as a whole is influenced by the dielectric properties of the nanoparticle materials and water on its surface. The difference in the dielectric properties of the filler (water) and the matrix (material of zirconia nanoparticles) leads to a strong increase in the dielectric constant of hydrated compacted nanoparticles due to the Maxwell–Wagner effect, which is a promising application in the development of energy storage media. Graphical abstract