Poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites with carbon nanotubes decorated with metal nanoparticles

Polymer composites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) filled with carbon nanotubes (CNT) decorated with metal nanoparticles (NP) of cobalt, nickel, platinum and palladium have been produced. The CNT nanofillers decorated with metal NP were synthesized by a modified wet impregnation method and their structural, morphological and thermal properties were evaluated. The metal NP ranging from 2 to 10 nm were found well dispersed on the CNT structure. The structural, optical, thermal and electrical properties of the metal/CNT/PVDF composite films demonstrate that the inclusion of the nanofillers leads to the nucleation of the γ-PVDF phase (up to 90%) and enhance the thermal properties (higher melting point) of the polymer. The nanofillers also proved to be suitability to tailor the optical properties of the polymer composite films and lead to an increase in the d.c. electrical conductivity (up to 10−13 S/cm). Thus, the reported metal/CNT nanofillers are suitable to tune PVDF polymer properties towards specific applications.