Polarizable Sol-Gel Materials, Methods of Preparation and Processing for High Energy and Power Storage Devices

A method of forming a sol-gel thin film device comprising:

• reacting a single sol-gel precursor, a solvent, and a catalyst to form a sol-gel film;
• and
• positioning a first charge blocking layer and the sol-gel film between a top electrode and a bottom electrode;
• wherein the sol-gel film has a shelf-life of at least one month;
• wherein the sol-gel film has an overall weight;
• and
• wherein the single sol-gel precursor has the formula:
• and
• wherein:
• each R is an alkyl group independently chosen from methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl;
• Z is a polar group comprising a compound having a dipole moment of at least 0.25 D;
• n is an integer ranging from 0 to 10;
• the solvent comprises at least 10% of the overall weight;
• and
• the catalyst comprises at least 10% of the overall weight.

A method of forming a sol-gel thin film device comprising:

• reacting a single sol-gel precursor, a solvent, and a catalyst to form a sol-gel film;
• depositing the sol-gel film on a substrate;
• and
• positioning a first charge blocking layer on at least a portion of the top of the film;
• wherein the sol-gel film has a shelf-life of at least one month;
• wherein the reacting comprises:
• mixing the single sol-gel precursor with the catalyst to form a mixture, the catalyst comprising a liquid catalyst;
• heating or drying the mixture forming a powdered mixture;
• dissolving the powdered mixture with the solvent to form a solution;
• and
• casting the solution the sol-gel film;
• wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, N, N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, N, N-dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, an a combination thereof;
• and
• wherein the single sol-gel precursor has the formula:
• and
• wherein:
• each R is an alkyl group independently chosen from methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl;
• Z is a polar group comprising a compound having a dipole moment of at least 0.25 D;
• and
• n is an integer ranging from 0 to 10.