Thermally stimulated dielectric properties of polyvinylidenefluoride–zinc oxide nanocomposites

Thirty-micrometer thick polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF)–zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite samples in the mass ratio of ZnO (1–6% (w/w)) have been prepared by solution mixing method. The nano- and microstructures of PVDF–ZnO nanocomposite of different mass ratios were characterized by using high-resolution techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM and AFM images show the presence of different components such as nanoparticles, amorphous and crystalline phases in nanocomposite samples. Dielectric properties of polymer nanocomposite based on PVDF and ZnO of different mass/% compositions have been studied to understand the molecular motion at different frequencies in the temperature range from 300 to 500 K. The permittivity of the nanocomposites decreases with frequency, while increases with the increasing temperature and ZnO content. The loss peak that disappeared at higher frequency is the remarkable result of this study.