TITLE:
Effect of Nanostructures Addition and Enhancement of Poly (Vinylidene Difluoride) (PVDF) Energy Harvesting
AUTHORS:
Omar Peña-Oliveras, Brenda Javier-Boodhan, Anthony La Santa, Juan Gonzalez-Sanchez
KEYWORDS:
Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) (PVDF), Energy Harvesting, Electrospinning, Nanoparticles, ZnO, MgO, Fe3O4
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.15 No.7,
July
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: With concerns in energy crisis and global warming, researchers are actively investigating alternative energy renewable solutions. Among the various methods, piezoelectric transduction stands out due to its impressive electromechanical coupling factor and coefficient. As a result, piezoelectric energy harvesting has garnered significant attention from the scientific community. In this study, we explored methods to enhance the piezoelectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) through two distinct approaches. The first approach involved applying external high voltages at various stages during the mixture reaction. The goal was to determine whether this voltage application could alter or enhance PVDF’s piezoelectric conformation by improving the alignment of polarized dipoles. In the second part of our study, we investigated the effects of incorporating various nanostructures (including Iron Oxide, Magnesium Oxide, and Zinc Oxide) into PVDF. To analyze changes in PVDF’s crystalline structure, we utilized Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Additionally, we measured the electric polarization of samples using a Precision LC Meter and examined the morphology of nanofibers through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).