Permittivity, thermal conductivity and thermal stability of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/graphene nanocomposites

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/graphene nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending. The incorporation of graphene sheets (GSs) increased the permittivity, thermal conductivity and thermal stability of PVDF, resulting in a transition from electrical insulator to semiconductor with a percolation threshold of 4.5 wt%. The composite containing 7.5% GSs had a permittivity higher than 300 at 1000 Hz, which is about 45 times that of pure PVDF. The thermal conductivity of the composite with 0.5% GSs was increased by approximately a factor of 2 when compared with the pure PVDF. The addition of 0.05% GSs produced an increase in the maximum decomposition temperature of PVDF of over 20°C.