Synthesis and electrical properties of polymeric composite incorporating carbon nanotubes in PMMA/PVDF matrix

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized via an electrospinning technique. The primary goal of this research study was to improve the electrical and structural characteristics of polymeric composites with CNT reinforcement. The resulting nanofibers were determined to have an average diameter of about 128 nm, resulting in a high surface-to-volume ratio, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The structural analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the α and β phases coexisted and had better crystallinity, which was further confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which indicated stretching vibrations of the characteristic functional groups. The electrical measurements were carried out using an LCR meter, confirming that the addition of CNT resulted in enhanced AC conductivity and dielectric characteristics. The PVDF–PMMA–CNT nanocomposite displayed the maximum conductivity of 3.52 × 10−8 S/m at 2 MHz, while the PVDF–CNT and the PVDF–PMMA–CNT nanocomposites exhibited dielectric constants of 2.26 and 1.31 at high frequency. These findings indicate that CNT reinforcement has enhanced electrical and dielectric stability, and energy storing capacity, demonstrating that PVDF-CNT and PVDF–PMMA–CNT nanocomposites are promising materials for electronic device application and energy storage.