Dielectric constant and energy density of poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites filled with core-shell structured BaTiO3@Al2O3 nanoparticles

Ceramics-polymer nanocomposites consisting of core-shell structured BaTiO₃@Al₂O₃ (BT@Al₂O₃) nanoparticles as the filler and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as the polymer matrix were fabricated by solution casting. At the same volume fraction, the BT@Al₂O₃/PVDF nanocomposites, with larger dielectric constant and higher energy density, outperformed the BT/PVDF nanocomposites. The 2.5 vol% BT@Al₂O₃/PVDF nanocomposites at 360 MV/m had a double more energy density than pure PVDF at 400 MV/m (6.19 vs. 2.30 J/cm³), and a remarkably 42% lower remnant polarization than the 2.5 vol% BT/PVDF nanocomposites (0.99 vs. 1.69 μC/cm² at 300 MV/m). Such significant enhancement was closely related to the surface modification by Al₂O₃, which improved the insulation of BT nanoparticles and reduced the contrast of dielectric constant between the filler and the PVDF matrix.     

Dielectric property of modified barium titanate/polyamide 11 nanocomposites with different surfactants

Barium titanate/polyamide 11 (BT/PA11) nanocomposites were prepared by modifying BT nanoparticles with dry surface modification process, which had well dispersion, high dielectric constant, and low dielectric loss. Various methods were reported to improve dispersion and compatibility with complex process and high cost. Herein, three surfactants [ γ- aminopropyl triethoxy silane (KH550), sorbitan monostearate (SP60), and octadecyl phosphate ester (OPE)] were chosen to modify BT nanoparticles. Then modified-BT nanoparticles were blended with PA11. The structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope, and wide angle X-ray diffraction. Dielectric property was studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The frequency dependence and temperature dependence of dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and dielectric modulus were analyzed. In general, dielectric property has strong frequency and temperature dependence. Furthermore, dielectric spectra shows that modified BT/PA11 nanocomposites have higher dielectric constant, lower dielectric loss, fewer interface polarization, and more dipole polarization. In contrast to three surfactants, OPE-BT nanoparticles have better effects, whose dielectric constant increases from 19 to 28 at 1 Hz, and dielectric loss decreases from 0.36 to 0.23. Meanwhile, mechanical property was characterized by universal testing machine. In all, the work improves dispersion of BT nanoparticles and dielectric property with easy process and low cost. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47447.     

Core‐shell structured Al/PVDF nanocomposites with high dielectric permittivity but low loss and enhanced thermal conductivity

Surface modification of core‐shell structured Al (Al@Al₂O₃) nanoparticles was performed using γ‐(Aminopropyl)‐triethoxysilane (APS) and dopamine (DA), respectively, and the microstructures, dielectric properties and thermal conductivities of the Al/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites were investigated. Both DA and APS enhance the interfacial bonding strength between the fillers and the matrix, leading to homogeneous dispersion of Al nanoparticles in PVDF matrix. Compared with raw Al nanoparticles, surface‐treated Al/PVDF exhibit much higher dielectric permittivity due to the enhanced interfacial interactions between the two components, whereas, the dielectric loss and electric conductivity of the nanocomposites still remain at rather low levels owing to the insulating alumina shell preventing effectively core Al from direct contact. The dynamic dielectric properties results reveal that dielectric constant and loss increase with temperature due to the gradually enhanced mobility of molecular chain segments of PVDF for the raw Al/PVDF and treated Al/PVDF nanocomposites. Additionally, the PVDF nanocomposites with Al treated with APS and DA show enhanced thermal conductivities compared with raw Al/PVDF under the same filler loading because of reduced thermal interfacial resistance promoting phonon transfer across the interfaces. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:103–111, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

PVDF/BaTiO3/carbon nanotubes ternary nanocomposites prepared by ball milling: Piezo and dielectric responses

Nanocomposites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) filled with barium titanate, BaTiO₃, (BT) particles, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and subsequent hot pressing. This method of materials preparation allowed obtaining uniform dispersions of the nanofillers. The influence of the particles on the polymer structure and morphology was studied. To understand the origin of changes in the PVDF properties, thermal and electrical behaviors of the PVDF/BT/MWCNT nanocomposites were studied as a function of composition. The addition of BT, MWCNT, or its mixture had not any influence on the PVDF polymorphism. However, calorimetric results pointed out that the presence of the nanofillers exerted nucleation mainly ascribed to the surface to volume ratio of the nanoparticles. The capacitance of the composites increased as the nanofiller content increased, being the effect mainly dependent on the surface to volume ratio of the nanoparticles. The dielectric behavior of the materials as a function of frequency was modeled by a Debye equivalent circuit only below the percolation threshold respect to the amount of MWCNT. The piezoelectric behavior of the ternary nanocomposites was highly affected by the incorporation of the nanofillers only when high dielectric losses occurred above the percolation threshold. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47788.     

Fabrication of bulk piezoelectric and dielectric BaTiO3 ceramics using paste extrusion 3D printing technique

A simple and facile method was developed to fabricate functional bulk barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BT) ceramics using the paste extrusion 3D printing technique. The BT ceramic is a lead-free ferroelectric material widely used for various applications in sensors, energy storage, and harvesting. There are several traditional methods (eg, tape casting) to process bulk BT ceramics but they have disadvantages such as difficult handing without shape deformation, demolding, complex geometric shapes, expansive molds, etc. In this research, we utilized the paste extrusion 3D printing technique to overcome the traditional issues and developed printable ceramic suspensions containing BT ceramic powder, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) through simple mixing method and chemical formulation. This PVDF solution erformed multiple roles of binder, plasticizer, and dispersant for excellent manufacturability while providing high volume percent and density of the final bulk ceramic. Based on empirical data, it was found that the maximum binder ratio with good viscosity and retention for desired geometry is 1:8.8, while the maximum BT content is 35.45 vol% (77.01 wt%) in order to achieve maximum density of 3.93 g/cm³ (65.3%) for 3D printed BT ceramic. Among different sintering temperatures, it was observed that the sintered BT ceramic at 1400°C had highest grain growth and tetragonality which affected high performing piezoelectric and dielectric properties, 200 pC/N and 4730 at 10³ Hz respectively. This paste extrusion 3D printing technique and simple synthesis method for ceramic suspensions are expected to enable rapid massive production, customization, design flexibility of the bulk piezoelectric and dielectric devices for next generation technology.     

Effect of shell phase composition on the dielectric property and energy density of core-shell structured BaTiO3 particles modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites

Dielectric nanocomposites have attracted much attention due to their wide applications in electronics and electrical industry. Recently, incorporating core-shell nanoparticles into polymer matrix to improve the dielectric properties of nanocomposites has been widely reported. Tailoring the interfacial region between the polymer and the nanoparticles plays a crucial role in achieving the desired dielectric and energy storage properties of nanocomposites. However, the effect of shell structure in the interface region on the dielectric and energy storage properties is rarely studied. Based on this, core-shell BaTiO₃ nanoparticles with two different shell polymers, a “hard-soft” copolymer of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate (P[MMA-BA]) and a “hard” homopolymer of methyl methacrylate (PMMA), were prepared in this paper. The effect of core-shell BaTiO₃ nanoparticles with different shell structures on the dielectric and energy storage properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was investigated in depth. Due to the formation of a tight interfacial region between P(MMA-BA)@BT and PVDF matrix, P(MMA-BA)@BT/PVDF nanocomposites not only have low dielectric loss but also higher energy efficiency than PMMA@BT/PVDF nanocomposites. This study suggests a potential strategy that fabricating a “hard-soft” copolymer shell on BaTiO₃ surface can obtain desirable energy storage efficiency than the single “hard” shell structure in dielectric nanocomposites.     

Surface modification-based three-phase nanocomposites with low percolation threshold for optimized dielectric constant and loss

Integration of the excellent attributes of high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss in flexible polymer-based nanocomposites has attracted increased research attention because of their extensive applications in modern electronic and electric industry. In this study, to obtain the optimized dielectric constant and loss, the fabrication and properties of a three-phase nanocomposites, including poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and two nanofillers, namely, surface-modified multi-wall carbon nanotubes (mCNTs) and barium titanate nanoparticles (mBTs), are investigated in detail. The mCNTs and mBTs were obtained via the hydrolysis of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (AMEO) and condensation reactions between the AMEO and nanofillers. The three-phase nanocomposites are fabricated by a phase-separation and hot-pressing process. The mCNTs and mBTs can be uniformly dispersed within the PVDF polymer matrix because of the enhanced hydrogen bonding interaction and compatibility with the polymer matrix. The percolation threshold (as low as 0.50 vol%) of the two-phase mCNTs/PVDF nanocomposites is adopted to optimize the dielectric properties of the three-phase mCNTs/mBTs/PVDF nanocomposites. At the frequency of 10² Hz, a high dielectric constant of 109 and low loss of 0.06 are obtained for the three-phase nanocomposites with only 0.41 vol% mCNTs and 2.8 vol% mBTs, respectively. Meanwhile, owing to the low percolation threshold and enhanced surface compatibility between the nanofillers and PVDF, the tensile strength of the three-phase nanocomposites is greater than that of PVDF by a factor of greater than 1.5. Owing to their high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and good mechanical properties, these PVDF-based ternary nanocomposites show potential for applications in electronic devices and energy storage systems.     

Gradient dielectric constant sandwich-structured BaTiO3/PMMA nanocomposites with strengthened energy density and ultralow-energy loss

High energy storage density with low-energy loss polymer films are essential for high-performance electric devices. To avoid the high-energy loss of utilizing nonlinear polymer materials, a sandwich nanostructure comprising a linear polymer poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix embedded with a high dielectric constant BaTiO₃ (BT) interlayer and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binder was constructed using a solution casting strategy. This structural design takes advantage of each component in the composite. The good dispersion of BT particles in the binder, which was incorporated between PMMA, enabled a high dielectric constant and fewer defects. Additionally, the excellent film formation ability of the PVDF binder guarantees the uniform thickness and stable structure of the BT mid-layer, and good miscibility between PVDF and PMMA enhanced the interaction between each layer. Interestingly, since the dielectric constant of PVDF was between BT fillers and PMMA, a dielectric gradient distribution mitigated the local electric field concentration, as proven by the simulation results. Consequently, a low-loss linear PMMA composite film exhibited satisfying breakdown strength and excellent discharged energy density, which were 25% and 460% higher than those of pristine PMMA, respectively.     

The surface modification of BaTiO3 and its effects on the microstructure and electrical properties of BaTiO3/silicone rubber composites

Interfacial interaction and compatibility between the ceramic dielectric and polymer matrix have strong impact on the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of their composites. In this work, the BaTiO₃ (BT) nanoparticles were modified by (1) stearic acid (SA); (2) aluminate coupling agent (ACA); (3) the combination of SA and coupling agent aluminate, and then incorporated them with silicone rubber (SR) matrix to prepare BT/SR nanocomposites. The effects of the surface modification methods of BT on the microstructure and electrical properties of BT/SR nanocomposite films were studied. The results showed that SA and ACA were beneficial to the dispersion of BT and resulted in the strong interfacial interaction. The composite of BT modified by SA not only had high dielectric constant of 10.5, 2 times higher than that of the unmodified BT/SR nanocomposite (4.7), at the same time showed lower dielectric loss. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:288–294, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Novel polymer composites of RuO2@nBaTiO3/PVDF with a high dielectric constant

The dielectric properties of a novel polymer dielectric material were investigated. The conductive phase of RuO₂ was synthesized for deposition on the surface of a nanosized BaTiO₃ (nBT). The RuO₂@nBT hybrid particles were incorporated into a poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as a three-phase composite (RuO₂@nBT/PVDF). The obtained dielectric constant (ε′) was significantly high (3837.16) for the composite with a volume fraction of $f_{Ru{O}_2@nBT}$ = 0.50. The large interfacial polarization between the RuO₂?nBT and RuO₂?PVDF interfaces considerably increased the value of ε′. Therefore, interfacial polarization is a critical factor in improving the dielectric properties. The dielectric behavior of the RuO₂@nBT/PVDF composites can be described using the effective medium percolation theory model, which indicates the significant contributions of the conductive RuO₂ phase and high-permittivity nBT phase.     

GO@TA-Fe/PVDF纳米复合材料制备与介电性能

为降低氧化石墨烯（GO）/聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）体系的介电损耗，本文采用单宁酸-铁配合物（TA-Fe）修饰GO表面，将改性GO和PVDF复合后制得了GO@TA-Fe/PVDF纳米复合电介质材料，研究了GO@TA-Fe对PVDF复合材料的微观形貌及介电性能影响。研究结果表明，TA-Fe包覆层强化了GO与PVDF基体间界面相容性及界面作用力，促进了GO在基体中均匀分散；TA-Fe界面层的存在显著降低了GO/PVDF漏导电流及损耗，归因于绝缘界面层有效阻止了GO之间直接接触，抑制漏导电流；TA-Fe用量对体系介电性能有明显影响，随TA-Fe用量增大，体系的介电损耗和电导率显著降低。与GO/PVDF相比，质量分数2%的GO@TA-Fe/PVDF在100Hz下介电常数为1000，而介电损耗由19.8降低为0.08。本研究制备的高介电常数及低损耗的柔性GO@TA-Fe/PVDF纳米电介质材料在电子器件及电力设备领域具有潜在应用。     

Processing,Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis,and dielectric properties of barium titanate/cellulosic polymer nanocomposites

High dielectric constant BaTiO₃/ethyl cellulose (BT/EC) nanocomposites having BT loadings of up to 13 vol% were fabricated through a simple casting technique. The BT filler powder, synthesized through an ultrasonic‐assisted solid‐state route, was revealed by X‐ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy to be dominantly tetragonal. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed good dispersion of the BT nanoparticles in the EC polymer matrix at lower BT concentrations. However, at higher concentrations, the BT particles form a continuous phase or a “filler network” leading to weak BT/EC interactions. This finding is well supported by the results of the tensile strength and storage modulus. The dielectric properties of the BT/EC nanocomposites were investigated over wide ranges of frequency and temperature. The addition of BT significantly increased the permittivity (ε ′) and dielectric loss (ε ″) and improved the ionic conductivity of the EC. The electric modulus (M″ ) results were analyzed in terms of the Havriliak–Negami function through three distinct relaxation mechanisms (namely α, β*, and β relaxations) in the temperature range 30–150°C. The dc conductivity (σ _dc) results suggest that the BT/EC nanocomposites formed at low BT loading (up to 7.0 vol%) and a temperature of ≤60°C are good candidates for antistatic applications while those formed at higher concentrations and temperatures are recommended for use in electrostatic dissipation applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:893–907, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Phase transformation and dielectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride/organic-montmorillonite nanocomposites fabricated under elongational flow field

Compounding montmorillonite (MMT) with polymorphic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) by melt intercalation method can induce the crystal phase transformation of PVDF, which is of great significance to obtain the electroactive PVDF. In this research, PVDF/Organic-Montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by a novel vane mixer, which was dominated by the elongational flow field in the whole plasticizing. The dispersion of OMMT, the crystal phase transformation of PVDF, and the resulting properties of nanocomposites were experimentally studied. The results of TEM and WAXD evidenced that homogeneous dispersion and desirable intercalation structure of OMMT were formed in the PVDF matrix under the effect of the elongational flow field. WAXD, FTIR, and DSC tests demonstrated that large amounts of β-phase of PVDF was formed due to the introduction of OMMT. The intercalation structure of OMMT and the crystal transformation of PVDF increased the dielectric constant and piezoelectric properties of nanocomposites, while the dielectric loss still maintained at a very low level. Finally, the effect of unique ''double-layer peeling'' mechanism of OMMT on the properties of nanocomposites was discussed.     

3D Printing of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Based Piezoelectric Nanocomposites: An Overview

Recently, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based nanocomposites have attracted much attention for next-generation wearable applications such as promising piezoelectric energy harvesters (nanogenerators), energy storage devices, sensing devices, and biomedical devices due to their high flexibility, and high dielectric and piezoelectric properties. 3D printing technology, PVDF based piezoelectric nanocomposites, the studies based on 3D printing of PVDF based piezoelectric nanocomposites by inkjet printing and fused deposition modeling, and enhancements of energy harvesting and storage performance of nanocomposites by structural design are comprehensively overviewed here. An insight is provided into 3D printing techniques, structure and properties of PVDF based polymers, various nanofillers and production methods for nanocomposites, solutions to enhance β phase (crystallinity) of PVDF, and improvements of nanocomposites’ breakdown strength, discharged energy density, and piezoelectric power output by mentoring structural design.     

Improved dielectric properties and energy density of PVDF composites using PVP engineered BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanoparticles

This work systematically investigates the effect of modifier polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the microstructure, dielectric and energy storage properties of BaTiO₃/PVDF composites. The results demonstrate that the BaTiO₃ nanoparticles modified by PVP are uniformly dispersed in the composites, and the defects including cracks and voids are obviously decreased in contrast to the composites with unmodified BaTiO₃ nanoparticles. Due to the enhanced interfacial polarization, the composites with BaTiO₃@PVP show improved dielectric properties compared with the composites with unmodified BaTiO₃ nanoparticles. For instance, at 1 kHz, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the composite with 50 vol% of BaTiO₃@PVP nanoparticles are 80.4 and 0.085, while of which the BaTiO₃/PVDF are 35 and 0.265, respectively. The discharge energy density of the composites is largely improved with PVP engineered BaTiO₃ nanoparticles. The composite with 30 vol% BaTiO₃@PVP achieves a discharged energy density of 4.06 J/cc at 240 kV/mm, which is 116% larger than that of pure PVDF (1.88 J/cc). This research provides an effect modifier to prepare high performance dielectric materials.     

Facile preparation and properties of polyvinylidene fluoride dielectric nanocomposites via phase morphology control and incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes conductive fillers

A novel PVDF dielectric nanocomposite was achieved by controlling phase morphology and incorporating conductive fillers simultaneously, and the mechanical, thermal, dielectric properties of the resultant dielectric nanocomposites were investigated. Mechanical analysis showed that incorporation of modified MWCNTs (MWCNTs-COOH) in the PVDF nanocomposites resulted in significant improvements on the tensile strength (T_s) and elasticity modulus (E_m). When the filler content was 12 wt%, the T_s of MWCNTs-COOH/PVDF could reach 64.6 MPa. XRD test showed that the addition of MWCNTs-COOH and MWCNTs promoted the formation of β-phase of PVDF. DMA analysis showed that the glass-transition temperature of the PVDF nanocomposites slightly increases on loading of original MWCNTs and this effect was more pronounced on loading MWCNTs-COOH. The dielectric property analysis showed that the original MWCNTs were more likely to form local conductive networks in the PVDF matrix, promoting the electron displacement polarization, and improving the dielectric constant. When the contents of MWCNTs was 12 wt%, the percolation threshold was obtained and the dielectric constant (ε′) reached 286, which was 36 times of pure PVDF. Our work provides a simple way to fabricate polymer blends with excellent dielectric performances, good mechanical properties as well as good processing capability but low cost. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48463.     

Reduced sedimentation of barium titanate nanoparticles in poly(vinylidene fluoride) films during solution casting by surface modification

Reduced sedimentation of barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BT) nanoparticles during solution casting to prepare the BT/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films is systematically investigated by surface modification of the BT nanoparticles. The surface of BT nanoparticles is hydroxylated by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or aminated by γ‐aminopropyl triethoxysilane (γ‐APS). It is found that the compatibility between the fillers and polymer matrix is remarkably improved by such surface treatments. As a result, the agglomeration and sedimentation of BT nanoparticles in the BT/PVDF composite films are significantly reduced, which is supported by morphology observation. Better dielectric properties such as higher dielectric constant, higher breakdown strength, and lower dielectric loss are also obtained for the composite films with surface‐modified fillers than those with raw fillers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42662.     

Experimental and theoretical dielectric studies of PVDF/PZT nanocomposite thin films

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/lead zirconate titanate nanocomposite thin films (PVDF/PZT-NPs) were successfully prepared by mixing fine Pb(Zr_0.52,Ti_0.48)O₃ nanoparticles (PZT-NPs) into a PVDF solution under ultrasonication. The mixture was spin coated onto glass substrate and then cured at 110 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structure and properties of the obtained thin-film nanocomposites. The dielectric properties of the PVDF/PZT-NPs were analyzed in detail with respect to frequency. In comparison with pure poly (vinylidene fluoride), the dielectric constant of the nanocomposite (15 vol.% PZT-NPs) was significantly increased, whereas the loss tangent was unchanged in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 30 MHz. The nanocomposites exhibited good dielectric stability over a wide frequency range. Different theoretical approaches were employed to predict the effective dielectric constants of the thin film nanocomposite systems, and the estimated results were compared with the experimental data.     

Enhancement of dielectric constants of epoxy thermosets via a fine dispersion of barium titanate nanoparticles

In this study, we examined a facile approach for achieving a fine dispersion of barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles (NPs) in epoxy thermosets. First, the surfaces of BT NPs were modified with poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) via a surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization approach. We found that the PCL‐grafted BT NPs were easily dispersed in epoxy thermosets. The fine dispersion of the PCL‐grafted BT NPs in the epoxy thermosets was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. We found that the organic–inorganic nanocomposites displayed significantly enhanced dielectric constants and low dielectric loss compared to the control epoxy. The nanocomposites containing 14.1 wt % BT NPs possessed dielectric constants as high as at a frequency of 10³ Hz. The dielectric loss was measured to be 0.002 at a frequency of 10³ Hz. The improved dielectric properties are accounted for the fine dispersion of the BT NPs in the epoxy thermosets. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43322.     

Nanocomposite films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) filled with polyvinylpyrrolidone‐coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Enhancement of β‐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?O) and the PVDF's fluorine group C?F₂ 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 nanocomposite PVDF films exhibit a purely β‐polymorph even at a very low content of PVP‐wrapped MWCNTs (0.1 wt%) while this phase is totally absent in the corresponding unmodified MWCNTs/PVDF nanocomposites. A possible mechanism of β‐phase formation in PVP‐coated MWCNTs/PVDF nanocomposites has been discussed. Furthermore, the tensile properties of PVDF nanocomposites as function of the content in PVP‐coated MWCNTs were also studied. Results shows that the addition of 2.0 wt% of PVP‐coated MWCNTs lead to a 168% increase in Young's modulus and a 120% in tensile strength. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers