One-step fabrication of biomimetic PVDF-BaTiO₃ nanofibrous composite using DoE

Abstract

Dielectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and Barium titanate (BaTiO3)-PVDF nano-fibrous composites were made using the electrospinning process based on a design of experiments approach. An ultrasonication process was optimized using 2 k factorial DoE approach to disperse BaTiO3 particles in PVDF solution in DMF. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the fabricated mesh. The FT-IR and Raman analysis were carried out to investigate the crystal structure of the prepared mesh. Surface morphology contribution to the adhesive property of the composite was explained through contact angle measurements. The capacitance of the prepared PVDF-BaTiO3 nanofibrous mesh was a more than 40% increase over the pure PVDF nanofibers. The results obtained indicates that electrospinning offers a potential way to produce nanofibers with desired crystalline nature which was not observed in molded samples. In addition, BaTiO3 can be used to increase the capacitance, desired surface characteristics of the PVDF nanofibers which can find potential application as flexible piezoelectric sensor mimicking biological skin for use in structural health monitoring applications.

Electrospun PVDF Nanofibers for Piezoelectric Applications: A Review of the Influence of Electrospinning Parameters on the β Phase and Crystallinity Enhancement

“…Single polar solvents, such as dimethylacetamide (DMAc), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) [ 107 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 ], or a binary mixture of these solvents with acetone are mainly used to dissolve PVDF [ 108 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 ]. Adding a small amount of acetone is conducive to the volatilization of the solvent and an increase in F(β), but too much acetone is not conducive to the formation of the β phase.…”

A Review of Piezoelectric PVDF Film by Electrospinning and Its Applications

“…The electrospinning process requires a high electric force, which could agglomerate BT in solution. As one of the remedies, Ramesh suggests ultrasonication steps to disperse polar ceramic particles in a polymer solution [ 103 ]. The formation of desired β-phase PVDF was shown with a sample of 3 wt.% BT addition.…”

Polymer Composites with Improved Dielectric Properties: A Review

“…When a thermally conducting filler is used, the dielectric constant increases considerably, but the dielectric strength decreases drastically. The introduction of high dielectric constant materials like BaTiO 3 , BST, BNNs enhances the dielectric constant, dielectric strength and gives a superior power density at very low volume [7,12,41]. S.H.…”