Morphology, crystallization, thermal, and mechanical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films filled with different concentrations of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

Nanocomposites consisting of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix and 0-8 wt% fluoropropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (FP-POSS) were obtained through the solvent evaporation method. Morphology, crystallization, as well as thermal and mechanical properties were investigated. FP-POSS, acting as a nucleating agent, exhibited robust miscibility with PVDF, enhancing the crystallinity of PVDF. A high relative fraction of the β phase was observed in the composites. The thermal degradation of PVDF was not significantly affected by FP-POSS under a nitrogen atmosphere. Low addition of FP-POSS, acting as nanofiller, led to remarkable improvement in mechanical properties, including hardness. The maximum was achieved at 3 wt%. High amounts led to inferior mechanical properties.