Dielectric Constant

Dielectric Constant Testing

The dielectric constant is an electrical parameter measured to understand the insulating properties of materials. It is the ratio of capacitance induced between two metallic plates with the insulator between the plates to the capacitance with air or vacuum. The dielectric constant is a crucial property in the specification of any capacitor. Dielectric testing is also one of the measurement metrics for characterizing polymeric materials, ceramics, solvents, biomaterials in aqueous media.

Dissipation factor and loss tangent, which are used in lower and higher frequency applications, respectively, are other parameters measured along with dielectric constant to evaluate an insulator’s efficiency. Dielectric testing measurements are typically performed in testing labs at room temperature to 500 °C, and 10Hz to 10Mhz frequencies depending on the testing standard followed (ASTM) and the application for which the material is tested in the laboratory. 

Common Uses of Dielectric Constant Testing

• Dielectrics characterization
• Capacitor specification
• Elastomer and other thin-film capacitor characterization
• Solvent characterization to determine the solute dissolution
• Testing biomaterials in aqueous media
• Study of ceramic, plastic, polymeric, elastomer dielectrics

Industries:

• Microelectronics
• Electrical
• Electronics
• Telecommunications
• Biomaterials
• Ceramics
• Thin films
• Polymers
• Batteries and other Power Storage
• Cables and Wires
• Material Research

More Details

• Dielectric constant and its relevance in various fields
• Dielectric constants fundamentals
• Dielectric constant and its effects on capacitors
• List of dielectric constant for different materials
• The dielectric constant of plastics and polymers
• Dielectric constant and relative permittivity- Definitions