A comprehensive investigation on the influence of processing techniques on the morphology, structure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride)/Graphene oxide nanocomposites

Abstract

Graphene Oxide (GO) incorporated poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites were fabricated by employing two processing methodologies viz. solution casting and compression moulding. ‘Ultrasonication’ followed by ‘centrifugation’ was adopted to obtain a finer dispersion of GO in the PVDF matrix. Subsequently, the effect of different processing techniques on the morphology, crystalline structure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of PVDF/GO nanocomposites were investigated. Solution casted PVDF/GO nanocomposite of 0.15 wt% GO has resulted in ∼86% of the polar phase. Further, solution casted PVDF/GO nanocomposite of 0.15 wt% GO exhibited d33 value of ∼59 p.m./V, which was significantly higher as compared to the corresponding compression moulded nanocomposite. Finally, sensor devices were fabricated based on solution casted PVDF/GO nanocomposite film, which showed a peak-to-peak voltage of ∼10.2 V at 0.08 wt% GO. A systemic comparison and interrelation has been simultaneously established with respect to processing, structure and property of PVDF/GO nanocomposites.