β-Phase Enhancement of Force Spun Composite Nanofibers for Sensing Applications.
Renato Wenceslao Aguirre-CoronaKarina Del Ángel-SánchezNicolás Antonio Ulloa-CastilloJuan José Rodríguez-SalinasDaniel Olvera-TrejoImperio Anel Perales-MartínezOscar Martínez-RomeroAlex Elías-ZúñigaPublished in: Polymers (2023)
In this study, a piezoelectric harvesting device was developed using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers reinforced with either BaTiO 3 nanoparticles or graphene powder. BaTiO 3 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 BaTiO 3 / PVDF-based piezoelectric devices for designing wearable applications such as body-sensing and energy-harvesting devices.