The dielectric constant, also known as the relative permittivity, is a measure of a material's ability to store electrical energy in an electric field. This property is crucial in various applications of nanotechnology, including the development of capacitors, transistors, and sensors. The dielectric constant is a dimensionless number, defined as the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor filled with the material to the capacitance of the same capacitor filled with a vacuum.
