Dielectric Properties of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Clay/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanocomposites: Effect of Clay Incorporation

This study investigates the effect of clay addition on the broadband dielectric properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polyvinylidene fluoride (MWCNT/PVDF) composites, that is, frequency range of 10(1) - 10(6) Hz. Different loadings of MWCNT and clay were used for the preparation of three-phase (MWCNT/Clay/PVDF) nanocomposites via melt-mixing method. The crystalline structure and morphology of nanocomposites were examined by employing characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The dielectric spectroscopy showed that introducing clay into the MWCNT/PVDF nanocomposites at a critical MWCNT concentration improved dielectric properties tremendously. It was interestingly observed that the incorporation of a specific amount of clay, that is, 1.0 wt%, into the (MWCNT/PVDF) nanocomposite at a critical MWCNT loading, that is, 0.5 wt% MWCNT, resulted in a huge increase in the dielectric permittivity (670% at 100 Hz) and a considerable reduction in the dissipation factor (68% at 100 Hz). (C) 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers