Enhanced dielectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)–surface functionalized BiFeO3 composites using sodium dodecyl sulfate as a modulating agent for device applications

In this work, we prepared a series of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)–surface functionalized BiFeO₃ (h‐BFO)–Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) composite films by solvent casting method to investigate the effect of SDS in the composites. The X‐ray diffraction confirmed that the structure of h‐BFO significantly changed in the PVDF‐(h‐BFO)‐SDS composite in comparison with the rhombohedral structure of pure BiFeO₃. The microscopic study illustrated that the composite with a higher percentage of SDS content facilitated the dispersion as well as proper distribution of ceramic particles in the polymer matrix. The presence of different functionalities of respective polymer and the modified fillers was confirmed by FTIR Spectrophotometer. The dielectric and electrical study done by Impedance Analyzer revealed that the SDS treated surface functionalized composites showed relatively higher dielectric properties than that of two phase composites and pure polymer. Finally, the ferroelectric properties of the composite films done by P‐E loop tracer revealed that the SDS‐treated composites showed an enhanced remanent polarization. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45040.