Capacitor technology comparison — among common capacitor types used in electronics (electrolytic, ceramic, plastic-film, and mica), which type typically offers the highest capacitance values in practical, commercially available parts?

Introduction / Context:
Selecting a capacitor type often begins with the required capacitance value. Different dielectric technologies (electrolytic, ceramic, plastic-film, mica) trade off size, voltage rating, tolerance, equivalent series resistance (ESR), and stability. This question asks which of the listed mainstream types typically provides the highest capacitance values in standard electronic components.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The comparison is among electrolytic, ceramic, plastic-film, and mica capacitors commonly used on PCBs.
• We consider typical catalog parts and practical size/voltage ranges.
• We exclude specialty devices such as supercapacitors from being the intended correct choice in this context (those are distinct technology classes used for energy storage rather than conventional decoupling or timing).

Concept / Approach:
Aluminum electrolytic (and tantalum electrolytic) capacitors employ a very thin dielectric oxide layer and an electrolyte, enabling large capacitance per volume. Ceramic MLCCs achieve high values with high-k dielectrics but practically top out well below large electrolytics for the same package and voltage. Plastic-film and mica prioritize stability and low loss, trading away volumetric capacitance density, thus offering lower maximum values.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Vendor catalogs show electrolytics in 10 µF to several thousand µF ranges in modest sizes, while film parts are usually nF to low µF, and mica far smaller.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing volumetric efficiency with absolute maximum value; overlooking voltage derating and tolerance differences.

Final Answer:
Electrolytic