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Physico-chemical and piezoelectric characterization of electroactive nanofabrics based on functionalized graphene/talc nanolayers/PVDF for energy harvesting

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Abstract

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a versatile polymer, whose dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties can be augmented by a range of processing routes and/or additives. We developed a flexible nanogenerator using electrospun PVDF/COOH-functionalized graphene nanosheet (FGNS)/talc nanosheet (TNS) hybrid nanocomposites. TNS loading was fixed at 0.50 wt% while FGNS loading was varied (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 wt %) in these nanofabrics and their structure–property relationship was explored. Incorporation of FGNS led to formation of an electrically conductive network in the polymer matrix aided by TNS and electrospinning. The uniform dispersion of the filler nanosheets led to effective enhancement of the electroactive β-phase of the PVDF matrix. Crystallinity and polymorphism in these systems were explored by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. A nanogenerator made of the nanofabric containing 0.5 wt% of TNS and 0.10 wt% of FGNS was mechanically impacted by pneumatic actuator (operating pressure 0.4 MPa), resulting in an output voltage of 12.9 V and a power density of 1.72 µW/cm2, respectively. The piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of this nanofiber system was 61 pm/V as revealed by piezoelectric force microscopy. These novel nanocomposites could be used in flexible energy-harvesting devices.

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Acknowledgements

Sawan Shetty acknowledges and thanks NITK, Surathkal for a research scholarship. The authors acknowledge Prof. Udaya Bhat K for providing FESEM and TEM facilities. The authors acknowledge Dr. M. R. Rahman for providing the XRD facility. The authors thankfully acknowledge Prof.K.N. Prabhu for providing the UTM facility. The authors thank and acknowledge BIO-AFM (BSBE)—IRCC BIO Atomic Force Microscopy (BIO-AFM) Central Facility of I.I.T. Bombay for providing with PFM facility. Sawan Shetty is thankful to Mr.Vijay Mistari for his technical assistance in PFM analysis. The authors are thankful to Ms.Prateeksha, Mr. Prajwal, and Mr. Augustine S for their assistance in SEM, TEM, and UTM analysis, respectively.

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  1. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangaluru, 575025, India

    Sawan Shetty & S. Anandhan

  2. Centre for Energy and Alternative Fuels/Department of Chemistry, Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS), Tamil Nadu, Chennai, 600 117, India

    A. M. Shanmugharaj

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Shetty, S., Shanmugharaj, A.M. & Anandhan, S. Physico-chemical and piezoelectric characterization of electroactive nanofabrics based on functionalized graphene/talc nanolayers/PVDF for energy harvesting. J Polym Res 28, 419 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-021-02786-6

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