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 nano fillers 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 gamma-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. ; This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the strategic project UID/FIS/04650/2013, by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI) with the reference project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941. JNP wish to thank the financial support of the project Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000017 - EMaDeS - Energy, Materials and Sustainable Development, co-financed by the Portugal 2020 Program (PT 2020), within the Regional Operational Program of the Center (CENTRO 2020) and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). JO wish to thank the FCT for the SFRH/BD/98219/2013 grant. The authors also acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) (including the FEDER financial support), and financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK ...