Standalone 3-D piezoelectric polymer–ceramic foam for efficient energy harvesting

Abstract

The rising demand for wearable electronics has drawn widespread attention to piezoelectric materials due to their potential application in low-power devices. Herein, a unique method is adopted for fabricating free-standing foam-structured piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) with excellent piezoelectric response using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) embedded with piezoceramics. The as-fabricated foam with a porous structure and good flexibility delivered a maximum piezoelectric output voltage and current of 11.61 V and 70 nA. Both PVDF and the integrated ceramic nanoparticles in the composite foams contribute to the piezoelectric performance, thus giving better output compared to the pristine PVDF foam. Moreover, the interconnected pores within the foam structure provide a high surface area endowing the material with good amount of stress concentration sites that help in improving the piezoelectric voltage, respectively. This work presents a convenient method for designing mechanical energy harvesters that have great potential in self-powered wearable electronic devices.