Hierarchically Interconnected Piezoceramic Textile with a Balanced Performance in Piezoelectricity, Flexibility, Toughness, and Air Permeability

Abstract

Softening of piezoelectric materials facilitates the development of flexible wearables and energy harvesting devices. However, as one of the most competitive candidates, piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites inevitably exhibit reduced power-generation capability and weak mechanical strength due to the mismatch of strength and permittivity between the two phases inside. Herein a flexible, air-permeable, and high-performance piezoceramic textile composite with a mechanically reinforced hierarchical porous structure is introduced. Based on a template-assisted sol-gel method, a three-order hierarchical ceramic textile is constructed by intertwining submillimeter-scale multi-ply ceramic fibers that are further formed by twisting micrometer-scale one-ply ceramic fibrils. Theoretical analysis indicates that large mechanical stress can be easily induced in the multi-order hierarchical structure, which greatly benefits the electrical output. Fabricated samples generate an opencircuit voltage of 128 V, a short-circuit current of 120 µA, and an instantaneous power density of 0.75 mW cm −2 , much higher than the previously reported works. The developed multi-order and 3D-interconnected piezoceramic textile shows satisfactory piezoelectricity (d 33 of 190 pm V −1 ), air permeability (45.1 mm s −1 ), flexibility (Young's modulus of 0.35 GPa), and toughness (0.125 MJ m −3 ), collectively. The design strategy of obtaining balanced properties promotes the practicality of smart/functional materials in wearables and flexible electronics.

Mechanically Stable All Flexible Supercapacitors with Fracture and Fatigue Resistance under Harsh Temperatures

“…[4,5] All-flexible electrical devices made of bendable and stretchable materials are designed to retain intimate and imperceptible contact with the arbitrary-shaped robotic body and complex non-planar equipment. [6][7][8][9] The power components are critical and essential for the realization of expected functions. [10] Corresponding energy-storage devices are anticipated to accommodate various mechanical deformations while maintaining adaptable electrochemical performances to drive the flexible devices.…”

Piezoelectric nanogenerators for personalized healthcare

“…6g). 502 As a result, the introduction of the hierarchical porous structure led to larger mechanical deformation, greatly improving the electrical output. Recently, Gu et al proposed a three-dimensional intercalated electrode design to further improve the output performance of the PENG, 503 as shown in Fig.…”

3D Conformal Fabrication of Piezoceramic Films

“…[ 1 , 2 ] Modern manufacturing technologies, including chemical solution‐based synthesis, [ 3 ] chemical vapor deposition, [ 4 ] magnetron sputtering, [ 5 ] and pulsed laser deposition, [ 6 ] have fabricated high‐performance piezoelectric thin films for applications in energy harvesters, sensors, and actuators. [ 7 , 8 , 9 ] Currently, the inherently planar piezo thin films fabrication technologies require rigid and flat substrates such as silica and glasses materials and highly clean laboratory environments. [ 10 ] The rigorous fabrication conditions confine the piezoelectric thin films to 2D forms, [ 11 ] posing immense obstacles in utilizing piezoelectric thin films for 3D conformal structures, such as artificial skins, body joints, and even large equipment like aircraft coatings.…”