Fabrication of CuO-NP-Doped PVDF Composites Based Electrospun Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Wearable and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

A flexible and portable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) doped with copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt.-% w.r.t. PVDF content) was fabricated. The structural and crystalline properties of the as-prepared PVDF-CuO composite membranes were characterized using SEM, FTIR, and XRD. To fabricate the TENG device, the PVDF-CuO was considered a tribo-negative film and the polyurethane (PU) a counter-positive film. The output voltage of the TENG was analyzed using a custom-made dynamic pressure setup, under a constant load of 1.0 kgf and 1.0 Hz frequency. The neat PVDF/PU showed only 1.7 V, which further increased up to 7.5 V when increasing the CuO contents from 2 to 8 wt.-%. A decrease in output voltage to 3.9 V was observed for 10 wt.-% CuO. Based on the above results, further measurements were carried out using the optimal sample (8 wt.-% CuO). Its output voltage performance was evaluated as a function of varying load (1 to 3 kgf) and frequency (0.1 to 1.0 Hz) conditions. Finally, the optimized device was demonstrated in real-time wearable sensor applications, such as human motion and health-monitoring applications (respiration and heart rate).

Review on Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Applications in Health Monitoring and Energy Harvesting

“…The sensor utilized in this research helps to produce electricity by contact with bodily movements and can successfully detect heartbeat and respiration by placing the sensor in both supine and prone positions as depicted in Figure 16a−d. Amrutha et al 18 successfully fabricated a portable electrospun PVDF composite fiber-based TENG for biomedical applications. The properties of the PVDF fiber were enhanced by the doping of various ratios of CuO NPs (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt %).…”

“…(e) Body movements dictated by placing TENG in (i) tapping, (ii) elbow, (iii) pocket, (iv) leg, (v) chair, (vi) shoe, and (vii) heartbeat monitoring by placing the sensor in the prone position. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 202, MDPI.…”

“…In 2006, Wang et al invented the first nanogenerator, which became a potential solution to this problem by speedy and efficient mechanical energy recycling. From then onward, various types of nanogenerators have emerged such as piezoelectric, − triboelectric, − electromagnetic, and pyroelectric power generation techniques as shown in Figure . In the beginning, piezoelectricity was used in nanogenerators to capture energy from human body activities such as tapping, walking, jumping, breathing, etc.…”

Nickel-Oxide-Doped Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofiber-Based Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting and Healthcare Monitoring Applications

“…In our research group, a similar kind of work has been reported for PVDF-aromatic hyperbranched polymer/TPU-and CuO-PVDF/TPU-based TENGs. 43,55 A detailed comparison of the electrical output generated by the proposed TENG with that of a previously reported energy harvesting device is presented in Table S1 (SI).…”

“…The net dipole moment exhibited by the β-phase is 8 × 10 –30 C·m per unit cell. Moreover, the β-phase of PVDF plays the most pivotal role in enhancing the electrical output of the fabricated TENGs. , Currently, the betterment of PVDF dielectric characteristics and most electroactive β-phase have been explored by incorporating or doping different nanofillers such as Ag NWsx, CuO NPs, NiO NPs, , BaTiO 3 , graphene oxide, and sepiolite (an inorganic nanoclay) . Out of these, NiO NPs are the most significant nanofillers to dope into the PVDF matrix because they have the ability to modify the mechanical, electrical (band gap 3.6–4 eV), and magnetic properties without affecting the flexibility of the nanofiber mats. , Numerous methods have been published in the literature for NiO NP synthesis, including ultrasonication, sol–gel, coprecipitation, and microwave pyrolysis.…”