High-performance flexible yarn for wearable piezoelectric nanogenerators

Abstract

The development and popularity of wearable electronics increase demand for wearable energy harvesters that can scavenge energy from environment or human body movements. In this paper, we present a novel yarn as a wearable piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG) consisting of a layer of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers integrated with PVDF film around a silver deposited nylon filament acting as an inner electrode. Electrospun PVDF nanofiber was wrapped around core yarn using a customized electrospinning device followed by coating of PVDF solution. The mesh of PVDF electrospun layer ensured uniform coating of PVDF solution, and the after coated PVDF film improved interfacial properties with inner electrode as well as strengthened the abrasion resistance of the piezoelectric polymer layer. The resultant unique yarn produced an average peak voltage of 0.52 V, peak current of 18.76 nA, and power density of 5.54 μW cm−3 under a cyclic compression of 0.02 MPa at 1.85 Hz, which is significantly higher than the energy output of a yarn with only a PVDF electrospun nanofibrous layer. More importantly, the high-performance was retained after 50 000 cycles of compression. The flexible yarn-based PNG device with good energy output and durability demonstrated its great promise to be used as a wearable energy harvester.

Fiber/Fabric‐Based Piezoelectric and Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Flexible/Stretchable and Wearable Electronics and Artificial Intelligence

“…Generally speaking, membrane‐like piezopolymers are coated on the surface of nanostructural piezoelectric materials . As shown in Figure f, PVDF film was conformally applied on the surface of electrospinning PVDF nanofibers to fabricate a high‐performance fiber‐based PENG . In this hybrid structure, PVDF nanofibers function as piezoelectric material and porous scaffolds to absorb PVDF polymer.…”

“…f) A flexible piezoelectric yarn consisting of a layer of electrospun PVDF nanofibers integrated with PVDF film around a Ag‐deposited nylon filament. Reproduced with permission . Copyright 2018, IOP Publishing.…”

Blood Pressure Sensors: Materials, Fabrication Methods, Performance Evaluations and Future Perspectives

“…Coatings generally provide mechanical [396], chemical [397] and weathering [398,399] protection that increases resistance to wear, and this can be achieved through polymeric and smart coatings. Polymeric coatings (e.g., PDMS [400,401], PMMA [179,402] and PVDF [403][404][405]) can form organic thin films onto a substrate to significantly modify surface reactivity towards various elements including corrosion, adhesion, and wear [406]. Likewise, inorganic coatings (e.g., graphene [407], Ag [408] and Au [409]) can modify surface properties providing corrosion and damage protection.…”

Investigating the wicking behavior of micro/nanofibrous core‐sheath PET–PAN yarn modified by dimethyl 5‐sodium sulfoisophthalate

“…21 Recently, many applications have been reported for the core-sheath yarns. According to the previous research studies, some applications include functional sutures, 22,23 wearable piezoelectric nanogenerators, 24 heat storage systems, 25 energy harvesting devices, 26 supercapacitors, 6,27 and tissue engineering scaffolds. 9 Zhao et al investigated the application of the core-sheath yarns in the woven filters.…”