Nanocomposite films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) filled with polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes: enhancement of #946;-polymorph formation and tensile properties

To improve interactions between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix, multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) were successfully coated with amphiphilic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) using an ultrasonication treatment performed in aqueous solution. It was found that PVP chains could be attached noncovalently onto the nanotubes' surface, enabling a stable dispersion of MWCNTs in both water and N, N-dimethylformamide. PVP-coated MWCNTs/PVDF nanocomposite films were prepared by a solution casting method. The strong specific dipolar interaction between the PVP's carbonyl group (C=0) and the PVDF's fluorine group C=[F.sub.2] results in high compatibility between PVP and PVDF, helping PVP-coated MWCNTs to be homogenously dispersed within PVDF. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction characterization revealed that the as-prepared