Smart, lightweight, flexible NiO/poly(vinylidene flouride) nanocomposites film with significantly enhanced dielectric, piezoelectric and EMI shielding properties

We report a facile technique to fabricate flexible and self-standing NiO/PVDF nanocomposite films. Detail structural and thermal characterizations of nanocomposite films show the gradual increase of electroactive β-phase of PVDF with increasing NiO nanoparticles content. The enhancement of β phase in the NiO/PVDF nanocomposites has been explained from physicochemical point of view. Electrical properties of the nanocomposites indicate fair improvement in dielectric properties at low filler loading with less dielectric loss. The value of dielectric constant of 0.75 wt% NiO/PVDF films at 100 Hz is five times higher than that of neat PVDF. Series-parallel model was used to describe the filler concentration dependence of the dielectric constant of the nanocomposites. These nanocomposites also exhibit excellent ferroelectric properties. Nanocomposite films having thickness 300 μm were also successfully employed for microwave shielding application. This work suggests that these films would be very useful for thinner, lighter energy harvesting storage and EMI shielding applications.