Significantly enhanced dielectric response in composite of P(VDF-TrFE) and modified multi-walled carbon-nanotubes

Abstract

To develop a high dielectric constant composite of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and multi-walled carbon-nanotubes (MWCNTs) with desirable homogeneity, MWCNTs were treated with a nitro-sulfuric acid by ultrasonication. Improvement of the dispersibility of chemically modified MWCNTs (a-MWCNTs) in polymer matrix, in comparison with that of unmodified MWCNTs in P(VDF-TrFE), was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)-observed morphologies. Electric behavior of the composites with different volume fraction of dispersed carbon nanotubes phase can be described mainly by percolation theory. The percolation threshold (f c) of composites with a-MWCNTs (fc=0.0308) is larger than that of composites with MWCNTs (fc=0.0216) due to better dispersion of a-MWCNTs in polymer matrix and the reduction of aspect ratio of a-MWCNTs occurred in the modification procedure. The composite with 2.98 vol% (a volume fraction close to the percolation threshold) of a-MWCNTs has a dielectric constant of 592 at 100Hz and room temperature. The composite remains very flexible with an elastic modulus close to that of the parent copolymer.