Mechanical, dielectric, and rheological properties of poly(arylene ether nitrile)–reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride)

In this study, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) polymer alloys with different mass ratios were prepared by solution casting method. The morphological, thermal, dielectric, mechanical, and rheological properties of the obtained polymer alloys were systematically studied. Scanning electron microscopic images showed that the polymer alloys exhibited two-phase system with PEN dispersed in PVDF matrix, which was consistent with the Cole–Cole plots obtained from rheological study. With the introduction of PEN, the crystallinity of the alloys decreased obviously, the dielectric properties of the alloys were stable before the melting temperature. When the content of PEN increased to 7 wt%, both the tensile strength and elastic modulus reached the maximum values (35.1 MPa and 1545.3 MPa), with an increment of 24% and 31% compared with those of PVDF, respectively. Rheological studies showed that the addition of PEN could obviously broaden the linear viscoelastic region of PVDF. Furthermore, the complex viscosities and storage modulus of polymer alloys increased obviously with the addition of PEN.