Direct correlation between free volume and dielectric constant in a fluorine-containing polyimide blend

The dielectric constant of fluorinated polyimides and their blends is known to decrease with increase in free volume due to decrease in the number of polarizable groups per unit volume. Interestingly, we report here a polyimide which when blended with a fluoro- polymer showed a positive deviation of dielectric constant with free volume. In our experiment, we have used a blend of poly(ether imide) and poly(vinylidene fluorine-co-hexafluoropropylene) and the interaction between them was studied using FTIR, XRD, TGA and SEM. The blend was investigated by PALS, DB and DEA. Surprisingly, with the increase in the free volume content in this blend, the dielectric constant also increases. This change is attributed to additional space available for the polarizable groups to orient themselves to the applied electric field.