ZnO@Carbon Dot Nanoparticles Stimulating the Antibacterial Activity of Polyvinylidene Fluoride–Hexafluoropropylene with a Higher Electroactive Phase for Multifunctional Devices

Abstract

To further advance the application of flexible piezoelectric materials in wearable/implantable devices and robot electronic skin, it is necessary to endow them with a new function of antibacterial properties and with higher piezoelectric performance. Introducing a specially designated nanomaterial based on the nanocomposite effect is a feasible strategy to improve material properties and achieve multifunctionalization of composites. In this paper, carbon dots (CDs) were sensitized onto the surface of ZnO to form ZnO@CDs nanoparticles, which were then incorporated into polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) to obtain a multifunctional composite. On the one hand, the antibacterial property of ZnO was improved because CDs had good optical absorption of visible light and their surface functional groups were favorable for electrostatic adsorption with bacteria. Therefore, ZnO@CDs endowed the composite with an outstanding antibacterial rate of 69.1% for Staphylococcus aureus. On the other hand, CDs played a bridging role between ZnO and PVDF-HFP, reducing the negative effect of ZnO aggregation and interface incompatibility with PVDF-HFP. As a result, ZnO@CDs induced β-phase formation of 80.4% in PVDF-HFP with a d 33 value of 33.8 pC N −1 . The multifunctional device exhibited excellent piezoelectric and antibacterial performance in the application of energy harvesters and self-powered pressure sensors.

Bactericidal Effect and Cytotoxicity of Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanocomposites

“…Further, GO is one of the many nanomaterials that has been researched as a scaffold material for tissue regeneration, gene therapy, photothermal treatment, and biotechnology methods including protein adsorption and as an antibiotic. , Large surface area, excellent thermal conductivity, good drug loading efficiency, biocompatibility, and biodegradability are all characteristics of this carbonaceous nanomaterial. It has been shown that GO promotes and expedites cellular adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. − …”

High-performance piezoelectric nanogenerators based on hierarchical ZnO@CF/PVDF composite film for self-powered meteorological sensor

“…Nour et al fabricated double-sided ZnO NWs/PVDF using two arrays of ZnO NWs placed in a face-to-face configuration. 32 The maximum output voltage was 2.4 V. Huang et al 33 reported ZnO nanoparticles decorated by sensitizing carbon dots (CDs) through the surface carboxyl functional group of CDs to obtain ZnO@CDs, and then the ZnO@CDs were incorporated in a PVDF-HFP matrix. The output voltage of the ZnO@CDs/PVDF-HFP composite was about 0.65 V which brought a 72% increment compared with a pure PVDF PNG.…”

“…The output voltage of the ZnO@CDs/PVDF-HFP composite was about 0.65 V which brought a 72% increment compared with a pure PVDF PNG. 33 Poor adhesion of the multilayered structure and agglomeration of ZnO nanoparticles are serious obstacles to an improvement in output performance via a traditional incorporation method. 34 Therefore, a new fabrication structure and technology with homogeneous ZnO and carbonaceous materials in a PVDF matrix to prepare a high-performance self-powered meteorological sensor is urgently needed.…”

EGTA-Derived Carbon Dots with Bone-Targeting Ability: Target-Oriented Synthesis and Calcium Affinity

“…The synthesis of CDs has remained a challenge, with low synthetic yields being a major issue. CDs possess unique properties such as fluorescence, good biocompatibility, and low toxicity, − making them useful in many fields such as sensing, − imaging, − catalysis, , drug delivery, − and device − applications. CDs have excellent fluorescence ability, and solid-state silane-functionalized CDs can be directly used as phosphors for multicolor light-emitting diodes and all types of white light-emitting diodes .…”