Zinc Oxide PVDF Nano-Composites–Tuning Interfaces toward Enhanced Mechanical Properties and UV Protection

This work shows that the mechanical properties and UV-resistance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) materials can be significantly improved upon dispersion of zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-particles. Zinc Oxide PVDF Nano-Composites are first produced through melt-compounding and are subsequently converted into thin films or into injection molded samples. The dispersion of the ZnO into PVDF is found to be relatively homogeneous throughout all samples. The inclusion of the ZnO is found to largely improve the tensile and flexural modulus by up to 20 and 60%, respectively. At ZnO contents exceeding 15 vol%, the UV transmittance of the films is completely obstructed, demonstrating the UV-shielding action of the nanoparticles. The collective results strongly suggest that these nano-composites could find potential applications where improved strength and both visible and UV-resistance are needed.