A review on poly(vinylidene fluoride)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends and their nanocomposites: a conceptual on smart behavior in energy-harvesting and storage applications

Boosting the chemical, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of polymer materials has always been a hot topic. Due to the time-consuming, high inherent cost of synthesis and modification of polymers and their difficulty or near-impossibility for industrial applications, the blending technique has gained much of attraction and interest as a superb solution. However, one of the controversial challenges in polymer blends is their immiscibility due to unfavorable Gibbs free energy. Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/thermoplastic polyurethane (PVDF/TPU) blends which are vastly utilized in lithium-ion batteries, sensors, wearable electronics and triboelectric nanogenerators are no exception to this rule. This study evaluates efforts to overcome the challenge of PVDF/TPU phase separation and highlights current advancements in PVDF/TPU blends and nanocomposites’ novel applications such as lithium-ion batteries, sensors, triboelectric nanogenerators, wearable electronics, transistors, membranes, air filtrations, etc. Finally, future perspectives and more solutions to overcome issues such as sustainable development in this field are pointed.