Morphology and mechanical and electrical properties of oriented PVA–VGCF and PVA–MWNT composites

The composites poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and vapor growth carbon fiber (VGCFs) and multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared by gelation/crystallization from the mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water (H2O). The composite films were elongated to 5–10-fold uniaxially. The mechanical properties of PVA composites were improved significantly by introduction of VGCFs and MWNTs and also by the orientation of fillers. Compared to VGCFs, MWNTs was more effective to improve the electric conductivity of the composites because of its network structure. The change in the electrical conductivity for the PVA/MWNT composites containing 5 wt% MWNT was independent of the draw ratio up to eight-fold indicating no disruption of the network formation. A certain high level of filler content was proved to be necessary for the promotion of both mechanical and electrical properties in oriented composite.