Recent developments in the synthesis of chemically modified nanomaterials for use in dielectric and electronics applications.

Polymer nanocomposites (PNC) have attracted enormous scientific and technological interest due to their applications in energy storage, electronics, biosensing, drug delivery, cosmetics and packaging industry. Nanomaterials (platelet, fibers, spheroids, whiskers, rods) dispersed in a polymer or copolymer matrix constitutes polymer nanocomposites. The dispersion of the inorganic nanomaterials in the polymer matrix, as well as the orderly arrangement of the nanomaterials, are some of the key factors influencing the overall performance of the nanocomposite. The surface functionalization of nanomaterials influences the dispersion of nanomaterials in the polymer matrix. Although several reviews of polymer grafting of nanomaterials have been reported, the review on surface functionalization of nanomaterials as it pertains to polymer dielectrics is currently lacking. This review summarizes the recent developments in the surface modification of metal oxide nanomaterials including Silicon dioxide (SiO2), Titanium dioxide (TiO2), Barium Titanate (BaTiO3), and Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) by chemical agents such as silanes, phosphonic acids, and dopamine. We report the impact of chemical modification of nanomaterial on the dielectric performance (dielectric constant, breakdown strength, and dielectric loss and energy density) of nanocomposite. This review will serve as a guide in the selection of appropriate chemical agents for functionalizing nanomaterials for use in specific polymer matrix so as to potentially tune the final performance of nanocomposite.