Influence of mechanical activation on mechanical properties of PVDF-nanoparticle composites

Abstract

The influence of mechanically activated fillers (ZnO, BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 ultra-fine powders) on mechanical properties of poly(vinylidene) fluoride (PVDF) and oxide nanoparticle composite was investigated using molecular simulations. Mechanical activation leads to the creation of new surfaces and the comminution of the initial powder particles, which affects the crystallization of PVDF matrix. In addition, prolonged mechanical activation leads to agglomeration of nanoparticles into “soft” and “hard” agglomerates of different sizes. All of this has a significant effect on mechanical properties of PVDF-nanoparticle composites. Microstructural changes due to mechanical activation in ZnO, BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 powders were investigated using SEM and XRD, while dependence of mechanical properties on nanoparticle size was investigated using molecular simulation. These show that smaller nanoparticles significantly enhance the mechanical properties of PVDF-nanoparticle composite and allow use of mechanical activation as a means of reducing the amount of nanoparticle filler in the composite, while achieving the same of superior mechanical properties.