Stretchable Electrospun PVDF-HFP/Co-ZnO Nanofibers as Piezoelectric Nanogenerators

Hemalatha Parangusan; Deepalekshmi Ponnamma; Mariam Al Ali Al-Maadeed

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-19082-3

Stretchable Electrospun PVDF-HFP/Co-ZnO Nanofibers as Piezoelectric Nanogenerators

Sci Rep. 2018 Jan 15;8(1):754. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-19082-3.

Authors

Hemalatha Parangusan¹, Deepalekshmi Ponnamma², Mariam Al Ali Al-Maadeed³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P O Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
² Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P O Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. lekshmi_deepa@yahoo.com.
³ Materials Science & Technology Program (MATS), College of Arts & Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, 2713, Qatar.

Abstract

Herein, we investigate the morphology, structure and piezoelectric performances of neat polyvinylidene fluoride hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) and PVDF-HFP/Co-ZnO nanofibers, fabricated by electrospinning. An increase in the amount of crystalline β-phase of PVDF-HFP has been observed with the increase in Co-doped ZnO nanofiller concentration in the PVDF-HFP matrix. The dielectric constants of the neat PVDF-HFP and PVDF-HFP/2 wt.% Co-ZnO nanofibers are derived as 8 and 38 respectively. The flexible nanogenerator manipulated from the polymer nanocomposite (PVDF-HFP/Co-ZnO) exhibits an output voltage as high as 2.8 V compared with the neat PVDF-HFP sample (~120 mV). These results indicate that the investigated nanocomposite is appropriate for fabricating various flexible and wearable self-powered electrical devices and systems.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't