Fabrication of composite PVDF-ZnO nanofiber mats by electrospinning for energy scavenging application with enhanced efficiency

Composite electrospun nanofibers mats, as a nano-generator, were fabricated through one-step electrospinning method. The structure of fibers is composed of Poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, as the matrix, and Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles; the nanocomposite were produced using electrospinning technique in order to have the benefit of piezoelectric properties and non-brittle behavior of ZnO and PVDF for the application in wearable electronic devices. Characteristics of these structures were evaluated by using Xray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Impedance and the electrical conductivity of the fabricated composites were also evaluated by Keithley instruments. Electrical response of samples was measured using an impedance analyzer made in Aims Lab (http://aims.aut.ac.ir) at room temperature. Results showed that incorporating the ZnO nanoparticles into the PVDF nanofibers improved the piezoelectric properties of samples compared to PVDF samples. The electrical output of composite samples was improved as high as 1.1 V compared with 0.351 V for the pure PVDF samples. These results imply promising applications, as an enhanced-efficiency energy-scavenging interface, for various wearable self-powered electrical devices and systems.