Electrical properties of multi walled carbon nanotubes/poly(vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene) nanocomposites

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were prepared by the method of solution mixing/casting. The dispersity of the MWCNTs in the PVDF-TrFE matrix was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing that MWCNT are well distributed in the PVDF matrix. Both individual and agglomerations of MWCNT's were evident. The electrical properties were characterized by ac conductivity measurements. The conductivity was found to obey a percolation-like power law with a percolation threshold below 0.30 wt. %. The electrical conductivity of the neat PVDF-TrFE could be enhanced by seven orders of magnitude, with the addition of only 0.3 wt. % MWCNTs, suggesting the formation of a well-conducting network by the MWCNT's throughout the insulating polymer matrix. The intercluster polarization and anomalous diffusion models were used to explain the dielectric behaviors of the composites near the percolation threshold, and the analyses of ac conductivity and dielectric constant imply that the intercluster polarization is more applicable to our systems.