Enhanced thermal properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites with ultrathin nanosheets of MXene

Abstract

Here, we report a facile method to delaminate MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) and prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/MXene composites by solution blending. Compared with neat PVDF, the PVDF composites with varying content of MXene (0–5 wt%) showed an enhancement in the PVDF thermal conductivity. In particular, when a loading of 5 wt% was attained, the thermal conductivity was increased to 0.363 W mK⁻¹, an approximate 1-fold enhancement compared with that of neat PVDF. In addition, MXene also exhibited a better performance in enhancing the thermal dynamic mechanical properties of PVDF. For instance, PVDF composites with only 5 wt% MXene exhibited a storage modulus as high as 7501 MPa, corresponding to a 64% enhancement compared with that of neat PVDF. In light of the excellent thermal properties of the PVDF/MXene composites, they can be expected to have a wide range of potential applications in thermal interfacial materials and structural components.