β-Phase Enhancement of Force Spun Composite Nanofibers for Sensing Applications

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Aug 29;15(17):3580. doi: 10.3390/polym15173580.

Abstract

In this study, a piezoelectric harvesting device was developed using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers reinforced with either BaTiO3 nanoparticles or graphene powder. BaTiO3 nanoparticles were synthesized through the sol-gel method with an average size of approximately 32 nm. The PVDF nanofibers, along with the nanoparticle composites in an acetone-N,N-dimethylformamide mixture, were produced using a centrifugal Forcespinning™ machine, resulting in a heterogeneous arrangement of fiber meshes, with an average diameter of 1.6 μm. Experimental tests revealed that the electrical performance of the fabricated harvester reached a maximum value of 35.8 Voc, demonstrating the potential of BaTiO3/ PVDF-based piezoelectric devices for designing wearable applications such as body-sensing and energy-harvesting devices.

Keywords: Forcespinning™; barium titanate; energy harvester; graphene; nanofibers; piezoelectric; polyvinylidene fluoride.

Grants and funding

R.W.A.-C. is grateful to Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT) for a graduate a fellowship with a registration number 1078232. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Tecnológico de Monterrey through the Institute of Advanced Materials for Sustainable Manufacturing, and from the National Laboratory for Additive and Digital Manufacturing MADiT, Mexico City, Mexico, grant CONACyT LN-314934.