Abstract
We report, herein, on the structures, melting/crystallization, electrical, and dielectric properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites reinforced with a neat multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). For our purposes, PVDF/MWCNT nanocomposite films with a wide range of MWCNT contents (0.0–20.0 wt%) are prepared via ultrasonicated solution-mixing and melt-compression methods. It is found that MWCNTs become well dispersed in nanocomposites by wrapping them with PVDF chains. The relative content of β-phase to α-phase crystals of a PVDF matrix is higher for the nanocomposite films with higher MWCNT content; although, the overall crystallinity of the nanocomposites is almost identical, irrespective of the MWCNT content. The electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity of the nanocomposites as a function of frequency are strongly dependent on the MWCNT content. The electrical percolation threshold of PVDF/MWCNT nanocomposites is formed between 2.0 and 5.0 wt% MWCNT. The neat PVDF and nanocomposites with low MWCNT contents of 0.2 and 1.0 wt% are electrically insulating materials (∼10−9 S/cm at 102 Hz) with low dielectric permittivity of 9–28; while the nanocomposites with high MWCNT contents of 5.0–20.0 wt% have relatively high electrical conductivity values (10−4∼10−2 S/cm at 102 Hz). In contrast, the nanocomposite with 2.0 wt% MWCNT has a huge dielectric permittivity of ∼6520 at 102 Hz, although it has relatively low electrical conductivity of ∼10−8 S/cm at 102 Hz. The huge dielectric permittivity of the nanocomposite with 2.0 wt% MWCNT could be caused by charge accumulation at the interfacial layers between PVDF chains and MWCNTs in the vicinity of the electrical percolation threshold.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. Kawai, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 8, 975 (1969).
A. J. Lovinger, Science, 220, 1115 (1983).
B. Chu, X. Zhou, K. Ren, B. Neese, M. Lin, Q. Wang, F. Bauer, and Q. M. Zhang, Science, 313, 334 (2006).
R. Shankar, T. K. Ghosh, and R. J. Spontak, Soft Matter, 3, 1116 (2007).
J. M. Schnorr and T. M. Swager, Chem. Mater., 23, 646 (2011).
Q. M. Zhang, H. Li, M. Poh, F. Xia, Z.-Y. Cheng, H. Xu, and C. Huang, Nature, 419, 284 (2002).
Z.-M. Dang, L. Wang, H.-Y. Wang, C.-W. Nan, D. Xie, Y. Yin, and S. C. Tjong, Appl. Phys. Lett., 86, 172905 (2005).
Z.-M. Dang, L. Wang, Y. Yin, Q. Zhang, and Q.-Q. Lei, Adv. Mater., 19, 852 (2007).
Q. Li, Q. Xue, Q. Zheng, L. Hao, and X. Gao, Mater. Lett., 62, 4229 (2008).
J. N. Coleman, U. Khan, and Y. K. Gun’ko, Adv. Mater., 18, 689 (2006).
M. Moniruzzaman and K. I. Winey, Macromolecules, 39, 5194 (2006).
M. T. Byrne and Y. K. Gun’ko, Adv. Mater., 22, 1672 (2010).
X.-L. Xie, Y.-W. Mai, and X.-P. Zhou, Mater. Sci. Eng. R, 49, 89 (2005).
C. Li, E. T. Thostenson, and T.-W. Chou, Compos. Sci. Technol., 68, 1227 (2008).
C.-U. Lee and M. D. Dadmun, J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys., 46, 1747 (2008).
J. T. Yoon, S. C. Lee, and Y. G. Jeong, Compos. Sci. Technol., 70, 776 (2010).
K. El-Hami and K. Matsushige, Chem. Phys. Lett., 368, 168 (2003).
N. Levi, R. Czerw, S. Xing, P. Lyer, and D. Caroll, Nano Lett., 4, 1267 (2004).
F. J. Owens, J. R. P. Jayakody, and S. G. Greenbaum, Compos. Sci. Technol., 66, 1280 (2006).
X. Yu, R. Rajamani, K. A. Stelson, and T. Cui, Sens. Actuators A: Phys., 132, 626 (2006).
Y. Xu, G. Ray, and B. Abdel-Magid, Compos. Part A: Appl. Sci. Manuf., 37, 114 (2006).
L. Wang and Z.-M. Dang, Appl. Phys. Lett., 87, 042903 (2005).
S. Manna and A. K. Nandi, J. Phys. Chem. C, 111, 14670 (2007).
Z.-M. Dang, Appl. Phys. Lett., 90, 012907 (2007).
G. H. Kim, J. S. Lee, C. M. Koo, and S. M. Hong, Compos. Interface, 16, 507 (2009).
Z. Jin, K. P. Pramoda, S. H. Goh, and G. Xu, Mater. Res. Bull., 37, 271 (2002).
G. R. Davies, Institute of Physics Conference Series, C. Goodman, Ed., The Institute of Physics, Bristol, 1980, Vol. 58.
S. Yu, W. Zheng, W. Yu, Y. Zhang, Q. Jiang, and Z. Zhao, Macromolecules, 42, 8870 (2009).
D. Song, D. Yang, and Z. Feng, J. Mater. Sci., 25, 57 (1990).
J. G. Lee and S. H. Kim, Macromol. Res., 19, 72 (2011).
S. Schneiger, X. Drujon, J. C. Wittman, and B. Lotz, Polymer, 42, 8799 (2001).
C. Li, E. T. Thostenson, and T.-W. Chou, Appl. Phys. Lett., 91, 223114 (2007).
R. Tamura, E. Lim, T. Manaka, and M. Iwamoto, J. Appl. Phys., 100, 114515 (2006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, IH., Baik, D.H. & Jeong, Y.G. Structures, electrical, and dielectric properties of PVDF-based nanocomposite films reinforced with neat multi-walled carbon nanotube. Macromol. Res. 20, 920–927 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-012-0064-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-012-0064-8