Tailoring the dielectric properties of bentonite for advanced capacitor Applications: The role of ruthenium and strontium incorporation

This study utilized incipient wetness impregnation to synthesize bentonite materials and to enhance their physical characteristics with ruthenium (Ru) and strontium (Sr) ions. The atomic composition of the materials was confirm confirmed via the analysis of the EDX measurements. X-ray crystallography indicates that the materials have almost similar diffraction peak profiles, and that the addition of Sr increases the crystallinity of the bentonite grains. Dielectric and electrical properties, measured between 25°C and 55°C at frequencies of 1kHz −1 MHz, revealed that the real and imaginary impedances increased upon the introduction of 5% Ru and 5% Sr, possibly due to Ru and Sr segregation into the grain boundaries, increasing the resistance of the bentonite granular structure. For all materials, the observed saturation of the real electric modulus at high frequencies, and the reduction of the permittivity with increasing frequency, may be explained by the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization and Koop's empirical theory. This trend is more pronounced for the bentonite with Sr, highlighting the essence of the present work for engineering interfacial polarisation applications associated with supercapacitors and batteries.