A facile and simple phase-inversion method for the fabrication of Ag nanoparticles/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposite with high-efficiency of electrocatalytic property

Abstract

How to prepare functional nanocomposites in a simple, facile and efficient procedure has attracted tremendous effort in the past decades. In this investigation, Ag nanoparticles (NPs)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites were fabricated by blending PVDF with MWCNTs, followed by incorporation of Ag NPs into the MWCNTs/PVDF composites via phase inversion process. The morphology, crystallinity, thermal stability as well as the electrochemical properties of the composites were characterized. Particularly, the catalytic activities of the composite-modified indium tin oxide glass (ITO-glass) electrode for the electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were investigated. It was found that the loading of the Ag NPs onto MWCNTs/PVDF was dramatically improved compared to that of the neat PVDF, resulting from the presence of the MWCNTs. In addition, the good dispersion of Ag NPs in the MWCNTs/PVDF matrix endowed the Ag NPs/MWCNTs/PVDF composites with high electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of H₂O₂.