• Composites Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.12-17
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• 2011

Interfacial durability and electrical properties of CNT or ITO coated PVDF nanocomposites were investigated for self-sensor and micro actuator applications. Electrical resistivity of nanocomposites for the durability on interfacial adhesion was measured using four points method via fatigue test under cyclic loading. CNT/PVDF nanocomposite exhibited lower electrical resistivity and good self-sensing performance due to inherent electrical property. Durability on the interfacial adhesion was good for both CNT and ITO/PVDF nanocomposites. With static contact angle measurement, surface energy, work of adhesion, and spreading coefficient between either CNT or ITO and PVDF were obtained to verify the correlation with interfacial adhesion durability. The optimum actuation performance of CNT or ITO coated PVDF specimen was measured by the displacement change using laser displacement sensor with changing frequency and voltage. The displacement of actuated nanocomposites decreased with increasing frequency, whereas the displacement increased with voltage increment. Due to nanostructure and inherent electrical properties, CNT/PVDF nanocomposite exhibited better performance as self-sensor and micro actuator than ITO/PVDF case.