Demonstration of Enhanced Thermal Stability, Dielectric Constant and Low Tangent Loss by Particle-Reinforced Silver/poly (Vinylidene Difluoride) Polymer Nanocomposites

Silver (Ag)/poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer nanocomposite films consisting of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) in the concentration range 10-50 mM were developed by a solution casting route. FTIR spectra reveal the interaction between the fluorine atom of PVDF and Ag NPs. FTIR spectra hint at a weak interaction held between NPs and the polymer. XRD pattern suggests that Ag NPs are crystalline. The characteristic diffraction peaks were observed at 38.40, 46.30, 64.70, and 78.120 in the 2θ range 10–800. These peaks were indexed as the (111), (200), (220), and (311) planes of face-centered cubic (fcc) Ag-crystal, respectively. TGA study confirms enhancement in the decomposition temperature of PVDF polymer upon addition of NPs with a percolation threshold at 20 mM Ag NPs. SEM images show that NPs are well embedded in PVDF matrix and needle-shaped diameter in the ranges 100-200 nm. A study of dielectric properties using LCR meter suggests that the dielectric constant of the as-synthesized PVDF film has increased up to 50 upon addition of Ag nano-fillers (50 mM) to the PVDF polymer matrix. Our results suggest that nanocomposite film containing 20 mM Ag NPs can be efficiently used for high-temperature charge storage applications.