Abstract
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•The impact of the CNT and electron beam (EB) irradiation on dynamic-mechanical and dielectric properties of PVDF- PZT ternary composite is studied.•Adding CNT by 1 wt% increased the storage modulus of nanocomposites.•Irradiation with EB up to 20 kGy decreased the storage modulus of the composite.•The CNT or EB has nearly the same effect on the dielectric parameters of prepared nanocomposites.
In this work, the PVDF-PZT composite was effectively manufactured using a solution-casting approach. The structural, dielectric, and dynamic-mechanical characteristics of PVDF-PZT are investigated as a function of electron beam (EB) dosage (10, 20, and 30 kGy) and CNT loading (0, 0.5, 1, and wt.%). Incorporating CNT into PVDF-PZT up to 1 wt% increases the storage modulus due to a strong interaction between the PVDF matrix and CNT. In a reverse manner, storage modulus and crosslinking density decrease with 10 and 20 kGy of EB, then slightly increase due to alteration of the internal structure of polymer composites. Due to enhanced charge carriers and forming new conductive pathways, the dielectric parameters dielectric constant (ε'), dielectric loss (ε ''), and ac conductivity (σac) of PVDF-PZT rose with increasing CNT content. Both ε' and ε'' of PVDF-PZT also exhibited rising values with EB irradiation dose due to chain scission and structural rearrangements. A slight increase of σac upon EB irradiation is also observed. Due to increased carrier mobility, the dielectric modulus (M') real part is decreased as CNT content and EB dosage grow. When CNT was added up to 1 wt%, the observed Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization in the imaginary portion of the electric modulus (M″) curves moved to a higher frequency, attributed to an increase in charge carrier mobility. At-low-frequency region, M″ values are decreased with EB doses due to increased charge carrier mobility. These findings support using EB as a powerful tool for modifying the characteristics of PVDF-PZT composites.