A kind of rubber nanoparticles, methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS), was applied into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix to fabricate MBS/PVDF composite films. Uniform dispersion and good compatibility of MBS in the matrix were observed. We found that the entanglement state between MBS nanoparticles and random chains of PVDF could diminish gaps in the matrix, which is helpful for high breakdown strength. The composite film with 12 vol. % MBS showed the maximum breakdown strength of 535 MV/m and the high energy density of 9.85 J/cm3, which were 1.7 times and about 2.2 times higher than pure PVDF film, respectively.
A series of composites blending thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) were prepared in this work to realize a high energy storage density. Low loading of TPU (<3 vol. %) shows a uniform dispersion state in the PVDF matrix. We demonstrate that the incorporation of TPU induces high breakdown strength which results in promoted energy storage performance. In addition, the influence of the different TPU hardnesses (65, 75, and 85) on the breakdown strength of TPU/PVDF composites was also investigated. Finally, a maximum value up to 537.8 MV/m at 3 vol. % TPU with a hardness of 65 was obtained, which led to a high energy density of 10.36 J/cm3.
Herein we report the highly improved electromechanical actuation of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) by blending with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to construct a bicontinuous structure. TPU/PDMS blend films with various PDMS loadings were fabricated through a simple solution-assisted casting method. Infrared spectroscopy measurements confirmed that TPU and PDMS are thermodynamically incompatible with each other. For TPU 80 with 80 parts of PDMS, a bicontinuous phase structure was achieved. The TPU 80 film showed greatly decreased elastic modulus and improved elongation at break compared to pristine TPU. It also showed the highest dielectric constant among the TPU/PDMS blend films with various contents of PDMS due to strong interfacial polarization. Most importantly, the TPU 80 film exhibited a maximum areal strain of 2.3% under an electric field of 40 V mm À1 , which is about 60 times higher than that of pristine TPU. The results described in this work demonstrate that the construction of a bicontinuous interface structure at the micrometer scale is very effective to develop elastomers with superior electromechanical actuation performance.
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