Enhanced dielectric properties and thermal conductivity of Al/CNTs/PVDF ternary composites

Polymer composites with high dielectric permittivity and thermal conductivity are highly desired due to their potential applications in a wide range of electronic and electrical industries. In this study, the composite consisting of poly(vinyliene fluoride) (PVDF), Al, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was prepared. The investigation of the dielectric properties and thermal conductivities of the ternary composites while comparing with the Al/PVDF binary composites indicates that the addition of 1.0wt% CNTs in the Al/PVDF clearly improved the dielectric permittivity due to enhanced interfacial polarization of filled matrix, whereas the dissipation factors still remained at acceptable low level owing to the insulating alumina shell and the isolation effect of Al on CNTs in the matrix. Moreover, the hybrid Al/CNTs particles obviously enhanced the thermal conductivity of the composites due to the more heat conductive pathways formed in the matrix from the CNTs bridging effect between the Al particles.