Synergistic improvement in piezoelectric, electrical, and mechanical properties of PVDF/PZT/Clay based Hybrid Nanocomposites

Hybrid composite of PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride), micro size PZT, and Nano-Clay with various concentrations of PZT and different clay modifications was synthesized using twin screw extrusion. The effects of different PZT concentrations and Clay was investigated on the dielectric, piezoelectric, electrical and mechanical properties of synthesized composites. A significant improvement in dielectric properties was observed due to the addition of micro PZT filler to PVDF in the presence of Nano Clay. The highest dielectric constant of 74 (1kHz, 25° C) and lowest dielectric loss of 0.02 (1kHz, 25° C) were observed. Furthermore, DC volume resistivity and piezoelectric coefficient d33 improved significantly with a maximum d33 value of 30.6 pC/N in the hybrid PVDF composite containing 30% PZT and 3% Clay. Moreover, the improvement in piezoelectric properties are attributed to the presence of a micro-sized PZT filler having its own high d33, and nanoclay for providing dipolar orientations to the PVDF matrix. Mechanical properties e.g. tensile strength and percentage elongation also improved corresponding to better dispersion of modified nanoclay and micro PZT in the composite.