Composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) are very promising for high-energy lithium-metal batteries as they combine the advantages of polymeric and ceramic electrolytes. The dimensions and morphologies of active ceramic fillers play critical roles in determining the electrochemical and mechanical performances of CPEs. Herein, a coral-like LLZO (Li6.4La3Zr2Al0.2O12) is designed and used as a 3D active nanofiller in a poly­(vinylidene difluoride) polymer matrix. Building 3D interconnected frameworks endows the as-made CPE membranes with an enhanced ionic conductivity (1.51 × 10–4 S cm–1) at room temperature and an enlarged tensile strength up to 5.9 MPa. As a consequence, the flexible 3D-architectured CPE enables a steady lithium plating/stripping cycling over 200 h without a short circuit. Moreover, the assembled solid-state Li|LiFePO4 cells using the electrolyte exhibit decent cycling performance (95.2% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 1 C) and excellent rate capability (120 mA h g–1 at 3 C). These results demonstrate the superiority of 3D interconnected garnet frameworks in developing CPEs with excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties.

With the rapid development of the Internet of things (IoT), flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) have attracted extensive attention for harvesting environmental mechanical energy to power electronics and nanosystems. Herein, porous piezoelectric fillers with samarium/titanium-doped BiFeO 3 (BFO) are prepared by a freeze-drying method, and then silicone rubber is filled into the microvoids of the piezoelectric ceramics, forming a unique structure based on silicone rubber matrix with uniformly distributed piezoelectric ceramic. When subjected to external force stimulation, compared with conventional piezocomposite films found on undoped BFO without a porous structure, the PENG possesses higher stress transfer ability and thus boosts output performance. The notable enhancement in the stress transfer ability and piezoelectric potential is proven by COMSOL simulations. The PENG can exhibit a maximum open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of 16 V and shortcircuit current (I sc ) of 2.8 µA, which is 5.3 and 5.6 times higher than those of conventional piezocomposite films, respectively. The PENG can be used as a triggering signal to control the operation of fire extinguishers and household appliances. This work not only expands the application scope of lead-free piezoelectric ceramic for energy harvesting, but also provides a novel solution for self-powered mechanosensation and shows great potential application in IoT.

A flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) was fabricated based on a new inorganic piezoelectric KNN–BNZ–AS–Fe, which exhibited the great potential in energy harvesting and self-powered mechanosensing.

The hybridization of different materials for energy scavenging techniques based on piezoelectric and triboelectric effects has been studied widely for various applications of nanogenerators. However, there are few reports utilizing the same oxide matrix materials with appropriate doping to simultaneously enhance the piezoelectric and triboelectric outputs. Herein, a hybrid nanogenerator (HG) consisting of a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) was constructed using (Ba0.838Ca0.162)(Ti0.9072Zr0.092)O3 (BCZTO)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a piezoelectric layer and Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3 (BZTO)/PDMS as a triboelectric layer. For the PENG, how the electrical output was related to the BCZTO ratio in the BCZTO/PDMS composite films was systematically investigated. For the TENG, remarkably enhanced output performance is attributed to the ferroelectric polarization and large permittivity of the BZTO/PDMS. The Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements show that the poled BZTO/PDMS composite film with a 20 wt. % mass ratio of BZTO has the highest surface charge potential, in line with the macroscopic electrical outputs of the TENG. Interestingly, the output performance of the PENG in the HG is significantly enhanced compared to the PENG acting alone, which is also verified by COMSOL simulation. After rectification, the HG can produce a maximum output voltage of 390 V and a current density of 47 mA/m2. This work not only provides a feasible solution to enhance the output performance of the HG but also offers an effective approach to develop a small, portable power source with promising application in self-powered electronics.

Ferroelectric materials have drawn widespread attention due to their switchable spontaneous polarization and anomalous photovoltaic effect. The coupling between ferroelectricity and the piezo-phototronic effect may lead to the design of distinctive photoelectric devices with multifunctional features. Here, we report an enhancement of the photovoltaic performances in the ferroelectric p-type La-doped bismuth ferrite film (BLFO)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire array heterojunction by rationally coupling the strain-induced piezoelectricity in ZnO nanowires and the ferroelectricity in BLFO. Under a compressive strain of −2.3% and a 10 V upward poling of the BLFO, the open-circuit voltage (V OC) and short-circuit current density (J SC) of the device increase by 8.4% and 54.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the rise (/decay) time is modulated from 153.7 (/108.8) to 61.28 (/74.86) ms. Systematical band diagram analysis reveals that the promotion of photogenerated carriers and boost of the photovoltaic performances of the device can be attributed to the modulated carrier transport behaviors at the BLFO/ZnO interface and the superposed driving forces arising from the adding up of the piezoelectric potential and ferroelectric polarization. In addition, COMSOL simulation results of piezopotential distribution in ZnO nanowire arrays and the energy band structure change of the heterojunction further confirm the mechanisms. This work not only presents an approach to design high-performance ferroelectric photovoltaic devices but also further broadens the research scope of piezo-phototronics.