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Preparation and characterization of composites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) and carbon nanofillers: a comparative study of exfoliated graphite nanoplates and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

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Abstract

In this work, the crystal structure, thermal conductivity, as well as dielectric and electrical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-CTFE)] filled with two different carbon nanofillers including exfoliated graphite nanoplates (xGNPs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been compared. The xGNPs and the MWCNTs were well dispersed in the P(VDF-CTFE) matrix using a simple solution-blending process. The xGNPs have the ability to induce the large amount of useful polar β and γ crystal phases for P(VDF-CTFE) via the relatively strong interfacial interaction between their functional groups and the dipoles of P(VDF-CTFE), while the MWCNTs only produce the relatively low amount of β crystal phases for P(VDF-CTFE) due to their weak π-dipole interactions with P(VDF-CTFE). It was found that both the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of xGNPs/P(VDF-CTFE) composite were better than those of MWCNTs/P(VDF-CTFE) composite. The thermal conductivities of xGNPs/P(VDF-CTFE) composites were much higher when compared with those of MWCNTs/P(VDF-CTFE) composites at the same filler content, which is probably owing to the better compatibility between xGNPs and P(VDF-CTFE). For example, the thermal conductivities of xGNPs (5 wt%)/P(VDF-CTFE) composite and MWCNTs (5 wt%)/P(VDF-CTFE) composite were 0.83 W/mK and 0.43 W/mK, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Guangdong Province Natural Science Foundation, China (Nos. 2017A030313268 and 2017A030313080), the Guangdong Province Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scientists, China (No. S2013050014139), and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1-ZVGH, G-YBLM, and G-YBPN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, 525000, Guangdong, China

    Bo Lin, Li-Hong Pan & Fu-An He

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Dong-Liang Shi & Kwok-Ho Lam

  3. College of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Hua-Kun Huang & Hui-Jun Wu

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  1. Bo Lin
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  2. Li-Hong Pan
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Correspondence to Fu-An He or Kwok-Ho Lam.

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Lin, B., Pan, LH., Shi, DL. et al. Preparation and characterization of composites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) and carbon nanofillers: a comparative study of exfoliated graphite nanoplates and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. J Mater Sci 54, 2256–2270 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-3005-x

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