Research Article
Open Access
High-Loading Waste-Derived Fillers in Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Composites: Comparative Effects of Alum Sludge and Wood Dust on Mechanical, Thermal and Dielectric Properties
1
School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH10 5DT, United Kingdom
* Corresponding Author:
Dongyang Sun,
[email protected]
Volume 2, Issue 1
2026
Received: 28 September 2025
Accepted: 26 March 2026
Published: 29 March 2026
Article Information
Published in
Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials
Volume/Issue
Volume 2, Issue 1, 2026
Pages
25-37
Abstract
Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites with high loadings (50-65 wt%) of waste-derived fillers—alum sludge (AS), an inorganic water treatment residue, and wood dust (WD), a lignocellulosic timber by-product—were prepared via melt compounding and compression moulding without compatibilisers. Mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties were systematically characterised. Increasing filler loading enhanced Young’s modulus but reduced elongation and impact resistance due to restricted chain mobility and stress concentration. Dielectric behaviour differed markedly between the two systems: AS composites exhibited progressive increases in relative permittivity (up to ~70%) attributed to interfacial polarisation, whereas WD composites showed only modest changes due to the low dielectric contrast of lignocellulosic fillers. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed reduced PVDF crystallinity in composites, indicating hindered crystal formation at high filler concentrations. Overall, PVDF can accommodate substantial waste-derived filler fractions while maintaining processability and functional dielectric performance, offering a sustainable pathway for valorising industrial and biomass residues in dielectric materials.
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
alum sludge
PVDF
wood dust
dielectric
composites
high filler loading
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on request.
Funding
This work was supported by the Edinburgh Napier University Research Funding.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
AI Use Statement
The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
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Cite This Article
APA Style
Lasseuguette, E., Doger, A. H., Salehiyan, R., & Sun, D. (2026). High-Loading Waste-Derived Fillers in Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Composites: Comparative Effects of Alum Sludge and Wood Dust on Mechanical, Thermal and Dielectric Properties. Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials, 2(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.62762/JAEM.2026.709014
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TY - JOUR AU - Lasseuguette, Elsa AU - Doger, Alperen Hamit AU - Salehiyan, Reza AU - Sun, Dongyang PY - 2026 DA - 2026/03/29 TI - High-Loading Waste-Derived Fillers in Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Composites: Comparative Effects of Alum Sludge and Wood Dust on Mechanical, Thermal and Dielectric Properties JO - Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials T2 - Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials JF - Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 25 EP - 37 DO - 10.62762/JAEM.2026.709014 UR - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JAEM.2026.709014 KW - alum sludge KW - PVDF KW - wood dust KW - dielectric KW - composites KW - high filler loading AB - Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites with high loadings (50-65 wt%) of waste-derived fillers—alum sludge (AS), an inorganic water treatment residue, and wood dust (WD), a lignocellulosic timber by-product—were prepared via melt compounding and compression moulding without compatibilisers. Mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties were systematically characterised. Increasing filler loading enhanced Young’s modulus but reduced elongation and impact resistance due to restricted chain mobility and stress concentration. Dielectric behaviour differed markedly between the two systems: AS composites exhibited progressive increases in relative permittivity (up to ~70%) attributed to interfacial polarisation, whereas WD composites showed only modest changes due to the low dielectric contrast of lignocellulosic fillers. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed reduced PVDF crystallinity in composites, indicating hindered crystal formation at high filler concentrations. Overall, PVDF can accommodate substantial waste-derived filler fractions while maintaining processability and functional dielectric performance, offering a sustainable pathway for valorising industrial and biomass residues in dielectric materials. SN - 3070-5649 PB - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge LA - English ER -
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@article{Lasseuguette2026HighLoadin,
author = {Elsa Lasseuguette and Alperen Hamit Doger and Reza Salehiyan and Dongyang Sun},
title = {High-Loading Waste-Derived Fillers in Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Composites: Comparative Effects of Alum Sludge and Wood Dust on Mechanical, Thermal and Dielectric Properties},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials},
year = {2026},
volume = {2},
number = {1},
pages = {25-37},
doi = {10.62762/JAEM.2026.709014},
url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JAEM.2026.709014},
abstract = {Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites with high loadings (50-65 wt\%) of waste-derived fillers—alum sludge (AS), an inorganic water treatment residue, and wood dust (WD), a lignocellulosic timber by-product—were prepared via melt compounding and compression moulding without compatibilisers. Mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties were systematically characterised. Increasing filler loading enhanced Young’s modulus but reduced elongation and impact resistance due to restricted chain mobility and stress concentration. Dielectric behaviour differed markedly between the two systems: AS composites exhibited progressive increases in relative permittivity (up to ~70\%) attributed to interfacial polarisation, whereas WD composites showed only modest changes due to the low dielectric contrast of lignocellulosic fillers. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed reduced PVDF crystallinity in composites, indicating hindered crystal formation at high filler concentrations. Overall, PVDF can accommodate substantial waste-derived filler fractions while maintaining processability and functional dielectric performance, offering a sustainable pathway for valorising industrial and biomass residues in dielectric materials.},
keywords = {alum sludge, PVDF, wood dust, dielectric, composites, high filler loading},
issn = {3070-5649},
publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}
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