Striking multiple synergies in novel three-phase fluoropolymer nanocomposites by combining titanium dioxide and graphene oxide as hybrid fillers

Abstract

In this study, novel three-phase polymer nanocomposites comprising of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared using colloidal blending. The PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, optical microscopy, SEM, AFM and contact angle analysis. The dielectric properties of these three-phase polymer nanocomposites were investigated using broadband dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range 50 Hz–20 MHz and temperature in the range 40–150 °C. The FTIR and XRD results infer good interaction between the constituents of nanocomposites. The microscopic studies infer homogeneous dispersion and distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles and GO within the PVDF matrix. A notable improvement in the thermal stability of PVDF was observed by the addition of TiO2 and GO as hybrid fillers. The dielectric performance of PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite films was significantly improved as compared to PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film. The dielectric constant increases from 18.57 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film to 165.16 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite film containing 7 wt% TiO2 and 3 wt% GO loading. In addition, the dielectric loss also increases from 1.71 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2 (90/10) nanocomposite film to 3.68 (50 Hz, 150 °C) for PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposite film containing 7 wt% TiO2 and 3 wt% GO loading. These intriguing properties of PVDF/TiO2/GO nanocomposites could shed some light on the incorporation of different types of hybrid fillers in a suitable polymer matrix for the development of novel three-phase nanocomposites as intelligent materials for embedded passive applications.