C 2017, 3(4), 30; doi:10.3390/c3040030
Physico-Mechanical, Dielectric, and Piezoelectric Properties of PVDF Electrospun Mats Containing Silver Nanoparticles
1
Material Sciences and Technology Program, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
2
Center of Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 21 August 2017 / Revised: 26 September 2017 / Accepted: 27 September 2017 / Published: 16 October 2017
Abstract
Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a piezoelectric material with outstanding physical and mechanical properties. The piezoelectric properties depend on the β-phase content of this polymer, while the physical and mechanical properties depend on the morphology and degree of crystallinity of the material. Silver has antibacterial effects, and silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have large surface areas rich in electrons. In this paper, we produced electrospun PVDF fibrous mats that contained different contents of Ag-NPs between 0% and 1.0%. The β-content in PVDF was found to increase by about 8% for Ag-NPs content of 0.4–0.6%. The electrospun fiber mats had a higher β-crystalline content, nano-pores were visible on the fiber surfaces, and the tensile strength and thermal stability were improved. Dielectric analysis indicated weak interfacial adhesion between the PVDF and Ag-NPs. Good piezoelectric response was observed in the electrospun fibers containing 0.4% AgNPs, which shows a good correlation between the β-crystalline phase content of the composites and its energy-harvesting application. View Full-TextKeywords:
poly(vinylidene fluoride); electrospinning; silver nanoparticles; crystallinity; chain motion dynamics; piezoelectric properties
▼
Figures
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Issa, A.A.; Al-Maadeed, M.A.; Luyt, A.S.; Ponnamma, D.; Hassan, M.K. Physico-Mechanical, Dielectric, and Piezoelectric Properties of PVDF Electrospun Mats Containing Silver Nanoparticles. C 2017, 3, 30.
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.