Core-Shell Nanofibers of Polyvinylidene Fluoride-based Nanocomposites as Piezoelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

Flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) are widely applied to harvest sustainable energy from multiple energy sources. The rational and simple design of PENG have great potential in soft electronics. Here we design a highly flexible PENG using the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer, polyvinylidene hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) with two nanoarchitectures of semiconducting metal oxides, TiO2 and ZnO. The nanotubes of TiO2 and nanoflowers of ZnO are embedded in these different polymeric media by solvent mixing, and new fiber mats are generated by coaxial electrospinning technique. This process aligns the dipoles of polymers and nanomaterials, which is normally a pre-requisite for higher piezo potential. With excellent mechanical strength and flexibility, the tailored lightweight fiber mats are capable of producing good output voltage (a maximum of 14 V) during different mechanical vibrations at various frequencies and in response to human motions. The hybrid nanocomposite PENG is durable and inexpensive and has possible applications in wearable electronics.

Bamboo Charcoal/Poly(L-lactide) Fiber Webs Prepared Using Laser-Heated Melt Electrospinning

“…Compared with other methods, electrospinning, which can be broadly divided into solution electrospinning and melt electrospinning, is commonly considered to be one of the most economically and technically efficient approaches to obtain ultrafine fibers [ 5 , 10 ]. Solution electrospinning was developed rapidly from a single-fluid blending processes [ 11 ] to coaxial [ 12 ], side by side [ 13 ], tri-axial [ 14 ], and other complex processes [ 15 ]; however, the high toxicity of organic solvent used in the solution electrospinning for preparation of working fluid is incompatible with the in vivo biomedical applications [ 16 ]. Thus, besides convenience and simplicity, energy saving [ 17 ] and environmental friendliness [ 18 ] are always desired for developing new electrospinning processes.…”

Preparation and Physicochemical Characterization of a Diclofenac Sodium-Dual Layer Polyvinyl Alcohol Patch

“…Electrospinning is one of the simple and effective fabrication methods for producing fibrillar structures made from a variety of biopolymers whose diameter can be formed from a nano to micro-scale. During the past several decades, electrospinning has progressed from single-fluid blending processes [9,10] to coaxial [11,12], tri-axial [13,14], side-by-side [15,16], and other complicated processes [17]. On the other hand, it is also combined with more and more traditional physical and chemical methods to expand its potential applications in the applied scientific fields [18,19].…”

Electrostrictive and Structural Properties of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride-Hexafluoropropylene) Composite Nanofibers Filled with Polyaniline (Emeraldine Base)

“…The SiO 2 @P(VDF-HFP) nanofibrous membranes also formed a superhydrophilic surface with a contact angle near to 0◦. Ponnamma et al [ 11 ] designed a highly flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) using PVDF and P(VDF-HFP) composite nanofibers filled with two nanostructured semiconducting metal oxides: nanotubes of TiO 2 and nanoflowers of ZnO. The research showed that the composite nanofiber mats, with excellent mechanical strength, ligh weight and flexibility, are capable of producing a good output voltage (a maximum of 14 V) during different mechanical vibrations at various frequencies and in response to human motion.…”