Synthesis and characterization of UV‐curable nanocellulose/ZnO/AlN acrylic flexible films: Thermal, dynamic mechanical and piezoelectric response

Abstract

This work is aimed at fabricating nanocomposites based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and nanocellulose dispersed in a UV-cured acrylic matrix (EC) for application as functional coatings for self-powered applications. Morphological, thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-Ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The piezoelectric behavior was evaluated in terms of root mean square (RMS) open circuit voltage, at different accelerations applied to cantilever beams. The generated voltage was correlated with ZnO nanostructures morphology, aluminum nitride film integration on the beam and proof mass insertion at the tip. Nitride layer increased the RMS voltage from 1 to 2.4 mV up to 3.9 mV (using ZnO nanoflowers). As confirmed by XRD analyses, the incorporation of ZnO nanostructures into the acrylic matrix favored an ordered structural arrangement of the deposited AlN layer, hence improving the piezoelectric response of the resulting nanocomposites. With proof mass insertion, the output voltage was further increased, reaching 4.5 mV for the AlN-coated system containing ZnO nanoflowers.

UV-LED Curable Acrylic Films Containing Phosphate Glass Powder: Effect of the Filler Loading on the Thermal, Optical, Mechanical and Flame Retardant Properties

“…The first heating scan was exploited for further confirming the completeness of the UV-LED curing reaction; glass transition temperature (T g ) values were evaluated on the second heating scan, hence avoiding the superimposition of the T g with the enthalpy relaxation attributable to the non-equilibrium thermodynamic state, in which the macromolecules are frozen due to the fast UV-LED curing process, as already reported in the scientific literature [34].…”

Investigation and hybrid deep belief neural network-based validation of piezoelectric bimorph cantilever composites assisted with tip mass

“…Also, several existing research works incorporate organic and inorganic materials for energy harvesters. Signore et al 13 analyzed the thermal, dynamic, mechanical, and photoelectric response of incurable Nano cellulose/AlN acrylic flexible films. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) analysis were used to evaluate the thermal and mechanical properties of the proposed piezoelectric material.…”