Engineering piezoelectric efficiency in phase-separated PVDF nanocomposites using In 2 O 3 -ZnO heterostructure

Abstract

The current research explores the piezoelectric output voltage efficiency of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposites containing In2O3-ZnO heterostructure fabricated by the phase separation methodology. Non-solvent induced phase separation using octanol creates uniform pores and spherulites within the polymer composites. Heterostructures of nanomaterials of ZnO quasi-spherical interface with In2O3 crystalline nucleus enhances the number of crystallites with reduced size, thereby contributing to the piezoelectric performance. Phase separation creates granular and rough surface morphology for the PVDF spherulites with advancement in the β-phase, which is the major reason for power generation. A specific circular sample of 2% PVDF/IZO with a diameter of 3cm and thickness of ~ 150 µm produced the highest output voltage of 1.32 V, almost 26 times higher than that obtained from the neat PVDF film of the same dimension. The study highlights the application of phase separation as a cost-effective self-polarization strategy to considerably increase the phase content and, thereby, sustainable energy harvesting.