Room Temperature Dielectric Pulse Effect in Organic Mixtures

The dielectric pulse effect is of interest for many applications such as sensors, smart triggers, and energy storage. In this paper, a general approach to achieve a room temperature dielectric pulse effect via solid–liquid phase transition in organic mixtures formed by conductive surfactants and insulating fluid is introduced. The dielectric pulse is caused by the self-formed blocking layer appearing during the solid–liquid phase transition by mixing Span80 and hexadecane. Using 50 Vol% Span80/hexadecane mixture, the dielectric peak intensity of 1191.6 is achieved at 11.9 °C. The dielectric peak intensity and the trigger temperature of mixtures can be tuned by changing the proportions of the components, the temperature ramping rate, and the components. The generality of the approach is also demonstrated in other organic matter such as Span series, alcohols, alkanes and their mixtures.