Charge transport characteristic and charge stability enhancement mechanism of polyimide aerogel as an ultralight weight electret

In this study, polyimide aerogel (PIA) is applied as an ultralight-weight and thermally stable electret material, meanwhile its charge transport characteristic and charge stability enhancement mechanism are investigated. It is found that PIA can exhibit excellent electret properties at 120 °C after corona charging at room temperature, and its charge stability acquires further promotion after charging at elevated temperatures or heat treatment, which far exceeds conventional polyimide-based electrets. Further research indicates that the outstanding charge retention characteristics of PIA originate from the enhanced local defect density, fast retrapping effect, weakened internal electric field by dipole polarization, and prolonged conduction path, which are inextricably linked to its porous structure. In addition, the high gas breakdown strength in the pores of PIA effectively limits the breakdown induced conductivity, thereby ensuring high space charge density and large piezoelectric response of PIA electrets. Considering the extremely low density and inherently excellent properties of polyimide substances, PIA may have promising prospects as an electret in the lightweight sensing and energy conversion devices at elevated temperatures.