Flexible Smart Textile Coated by PVDF/Graphene Oxide With Excellent Energy Harvesting Toward a Novel Class of Self-Powered Sensors: Fabrication, Characterization and Measurements

Abstract

Because of some of their diverse benefits, intelligent textiles have attracted a great deal of interest among specialists over the past decade. This paper describes a novel approach to the manufacture of intelligent piezoelectric polymer-based textiles with enhanced piezoelectric responses for applications that extract biomechanical energy. Here we report a highly scalable and ultrafast production of smart textile piezoelectric containing graphene oxide nanosheets (GONS) dispersed in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In this work, Cotton textiles (CT) were functionalized and by graphene oxide (GO), using PVDF as a binder to obtain a CT-PVDF-GO material. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was further grafted as a coating layer to improve the surface compatibility, resulting in the CT-PVDF-GO-TEOS composite. The research results show that the addition of GONS significantly improves PVDF's overall crystallization rate on CT. More specifically, the piezoelectric β-phase content (100 % higher F[β]) and crystallinity degree on the piezoelectric properties of composite cotton fiber has been improved effectively. Consequently, this fabricated piezo-smart textile has a glorious piezoelectricity even with comparatively low coating content of PVDF-GONS-TEOS. Based on it, the as-fabricated piezoelectric textile device has resulted in the output voltage of up to 13 mV for a given frequency (fm = 8 Hz) at fixed strain amplitude value (0.5 %). It is believed that this research may further reveal the field of energy harvesting for possible applications in the future.. In addition, the set of experimental results that illustrate the smart textile was carried out and discussed, and how it can be used as a wearable device source for this smart textile. Finally, the approach described in this study can also be used to construct other desirable designs, for a wearable low-consumption sensor, etc.

A Piezoelectric Smart Textile for Energy Harvesting and Wearable Self-Powered Sensors

“…When reversed, an outer electrical field either stretches or compresses the piezoelectric material [22,23] (Figure 1). Because of such extraordinary features, recently piezoelectric micro-and nanostructures materials have attracted extensive attention because they can provide a practical way to scavenge mechanical energy from the environment [24]. However, some early systematic studies have discovered over 200 piezoelectric materials, such as zirconate titanate (PZT), zinc oxide (ZnO), barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO 4 ), potassium niobate (KNbO 3 ), lead titanate (PbTiO 3 ), lithiul tantalate (LiTaO 3 ), langasite (La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 ), sodium tungstate (Na 2 WO 3 ), and PVDF [20,25].…”

“…However, some early systematic studies have d covered over 200 piezoelectric materials, such as zirconate titanate (PZT), zinc oxi (ZnO), barium titanate (BaTiO3), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4), potassium nioba (KNbO3), lead titanate (PbTiO3), lithiul tantalate (LiTaO3), langasite (La3Ga5SiO14), sodiu tungstate (Na2WO3), and PVDF [20,25]. Among the other piezoelectric materials, PVDF has a relatively large piezoelect and pyroelectric response, which makes it suitable for exploitation in the development flexible electronic devices [24,26]. PVDF also has an advantage over other materials d to its high mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and good thermal stability, as w as easy fabrication process.…”

“…For instance, piezoresistive PVDF foils are frequently used as thin, active electromechanical transducer, which are able to transduce approximately 12 of the mechanical energy to electrical energy, and inversely [21]. A wearable energy h vester generating electric power from heel strikes and strain applied on a backpack str Among the other piezoelectric materials, PVDF has a relatively large piezoelectric and pyroelectric response, which makes it suitable for exploitation in the development of flexible electronic devices [24,26]. PVDF also has an advantage over other materials due to its high mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and good thermal stability, as well as easy fabrication process.…”

Conductive Membranes Based on Cotton Fabric Coated with Polymers for Electrode Applications

“…Overall, the PVDF membranes are also used for triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] or self-powered sensors [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ] for pressure or vibration measurement [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ] based on the electrical properties of the PVDF polymers [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of graphene based nanocomposite coated self-powered wearable e-textiles for energy harvesting from human body heat

“… 20 As well as reported in study, that these polymer develops strong bonding and exists a strong π–π interaction between the polymer PANI intermolecular and intramolecular with carbon based derivatives. 21 The addition of these filler which would allows stable and enhanced growth of molecular chains for graphene in an ordered polymer matrix with PANI polymer chains with surface of carbon materials. 22 The another conductive polymer including polythiophene (PTh) showed a low Seebeck coefficient ( S ) and less electrical conductivity σ .…”