Impact of Multi-Walled CNT Incorporation on Dielectric Properties of PVDF-BaTiO3 Nanocomposites and Their Energy Harvesting Possibilities

Abstract

The current study investigated the fabrication of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) adhering to Barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites, as well as the impact of MWCNT on the PVDF-BaTiO3 matrix in terms of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with a view to develop a high performance piezoelectric energy harvester in future. The capacity and potential of as-prepared nanocomposite films for the fabrication of high-performance flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG) were also investigated in this work. In particular, five distinct types of nanocomposites and films were synthesized: PB (bare PVDF–BaTiO3), PBC-1 (PVDF–BaTiO3-0.1 wt% CNT), PBC-2 (PVDF–BaTiO3-0.3 wt% CNT), PBC-3 (PVDF–BaTiO3-0.5 wt% CNT), and PBC-4 (PVDF–BaTiO3-1 wt% CNT). The dielectric constant and dielectric loss increased as MWCNT concentration increased. Sample PBC-3 had the optimum dielectric characteristics of all the as-prepared samples, with the maximum output voltage and current of 4.4 V and 0.66 μA, respectively, with an applied force of ~2N. Fine-tuning the BaTiO3 content and thickness of the PNGs is likely to increase the harvester’s performance even more. It is anticipated that the work would make it easier to fabricate high-performance piezoelectric films and would be a suitable choice for creating high-performance PNG.

Effect of Particle Functionalization on Structural and Dielectric Properties of Flexible TPU/BaTiO3/MWCNTs Composite Films

“…[ 21 ] As can be seen from Table 4, both series of TPU films exhibited reduced dielectric losses with the addition of BT, however, lower values were found for TPU films with modified fillers, which indicated that the incorporation of a specific quantity of MWCNT f can increase the dielectric constant and decrease the loss tangent. [ 5,24 ]…”

“…[21] As can be seen from Table 4, both series of TPU films exhibited reduced dielectric losses with the addition of BT, however, lower values were found for TPU films with modified fillers, which indicated that the incorporation of a specific quantity of MWCNT f can increase the dielectric constant and decrease the loss tangent. [5,24] One of the basic requirements for the application of dielectric materials in capacitors is to possess resistivity to higher electric fields. To examine this behavior, the dielectric breakdown strength (E b ) of the TPU composite films was analyzed by measuring the breakdown voltage.…”

Toward Balanced Piezoelectric and Mechanical Performance: 3D Printed Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Carbon Nanotube Energy Harvester with Hierarchical Structure

“…The aggregation of CNT does not easily maintain the nature of high aspect ratio and thus the polarization efficiency decreases . Moreover, we compared with other PVDF based piezoelectric materials (PVDF/PDMS, PVDF/CNT, PVDF-TrFE, PVDF/P-CNT, PVDF/IL, PVDF/PMMA, PVDF/BaTiO3/MWCNT, PVDF/BTO, PVDF/MWCNT and PVDF/TrFE) as shown in Figure g. Our PVDF/CNT scaffold exhibited high beta crystal content, good mechanical property, and competitive output capability.…”

“…PVDF/ CNT, 21 PVDF-TrFE, 61 PVDF/P-CNT,62 PVDF/IL,63 PVDF/ PMMA,64 PVDF/BaTiO3/MWCNT,65 PVDF/BTO,66 PVDF/MWCNT67 and PVDF/TrFE 68 ) as shown in Figure5g. Our PVDF/CNT scaffold exhibited high beta crystal content, good mechanical property, and competitive output capability.…”

Current Achievements in Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerators Based on Barium Titanate

“…As can be seen in Figure 14 a, the piezoelectric coefficient d 33 of the composite BT-PDMS films significantly increased after the poling process for all studied BT concentrations between 10 and 40 wt.% [ 63 ]. Moreover, in cases using piezoelectric PVDF polymer together with BT nanomaterials, the poling process is quite important, because during the poling the extent of the most piezoelectrically active β -phase of PVDF significantly increased, as reported by Zhao et al ( Figure 14 b) [ 38 ], and has strong influence on the output results [ 70 ].…”