Abstract
The existing polymer dielectrics as insulating packaging media can no longer meet the insulation demands in highly integrated power electronic devices. Self-adaptive dielectrics with nonlinear dielectric response have been explored to eliminate electric field distortion caused by charge accumulation, but traditional strategies based on Schottky barriers result in interface defects. Here, we report polymer dielectric composites with customizable potential wells in recycled melamine foam-derived graphitic carbon nitride frameworks that overcome concerns about interface defects. We demonstrate that potential wells can efficiently capture low-energy charge carriers and release them for rapid transport under high electric fields. Notably, by doping donor or acceptor states into the frameworks, precise control over potential well depth and distribution was achieved, allowing customization of both nonlinear conductivity and threshold electric field strength. This work establishes a generalizable strategy for engineering next-generation self-adaptive dielectrics, enabling intelligent insulation behavior and enhanced reliability in high-field, high-temperature electronic packaging environments.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available in the Source Data file. Source data are provided with this paper. Optimized atomic structures used for the DFT calculations are provided as Supplementary Data 1. Source data are provided with this paper.
Code availability
No custom code was used or generated in this study. DFT calculations and finite-element simulations were performed using VASP and COMSOL Multiphysics.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 52307025; R.W.) and the 2024 IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) Graduate Fellowship (D.M.Z.).
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R.W. conceived the idea. R.W., D.M.Z. and Q.Y.W. designed the experiments. D.M.Z., Q.Y.W., A.Z. and C.H.B. carried out the experiments. Q.Y.W. and C.H.B. performed the simulations. R.W., C.Z.X., Y.X.H. and D.M.Z. analyzed the data. R.W. and D.M.Z. wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.
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Zhang, D., Wang, Q., Xie, C. et al. Potential well engineering for self-adaptive dielectric response polymer dielectrics. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71184-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71184-7
