Elsevier

Nano Energy

Volume 85, July 2021, 105985
Nano Energy

A 3D-printed, alternatively tilt-polarized PVDF-TrFE polymer with enhanced piezoelectric effect for self-powered sensor application

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.105985Get rights and content

Highlights

A 3D-printed, alternatively tilt-polarized PVDF-TrFE film (ID-TPPF) self-powered sensor with a high pressure and tactile sensitivity is investigated based on the ID-TPPF energy harvester with enhanced piezoelectric effect.

The 3D-printed PVDF-TrFE piezoelectric film (PF) coated with one pair of the dislocated interdigital electrode (ID) to produce multiple, alternatively tilt-polarized regions in the cross-sectional area, aiming to obtain high sensitivity to an external stress stimulation.

A tilt-polarized PVDF-TrFE polymer produced a larger dipole moment than that of thickness-polarized one, that is, a larger piezoelectric response.

Abstract

This work reports a 3D-printed PVDF-TrFE piezoelectric film (PF) coated with one pair of dislocated interdigital electrode (ID) to produce multiple, alternatively tilt-polarized regions in the cross-sectional area, which exhibits quite high sensitivity to an external stress stimulation. The theoretical analysis further reveals that the enhanced piezoelectric effect of the film can be attributed to the larger electric dipole moment due to tilt dipole orientation in PVDF-TrFE polymer. The experimental measurements show that the ID tilt-polarized PVDF-TrFE film (ID-TPPF) can produce a stable peak voltage of 73.5 V under dynamic compression stress of 50 kPa at 1 Hz, corresponding to a pressure sensitivity of 1.47 V/kPa, which are 14.7 times and 3.6 times those of a PVDF-TrFE film with conventional thickness-polarization and in-plane polarization, respectively. Correspondingly, the peak power density of ID-TPPF is as high as 478 μW/cm2, while at a load of 3 MΩ, the load power is still 207 μW/cm2, which even instantly lights up eight LEDs connected in series without using any charging capacitor. This work confirms that the 3D-printed ID-TPPF shows great potential in self-powered tactile sensors and artificial skin applications in the future.

Keywords

3D-printed
Alternatively tilt-polarized
PVDF-TrFE polymer
Self-powered sensor

Xiaoting Yuan is a Ph.D. candidate of advanced materials and mechanics at Peking University, Beijing, China. She received the B.E. degree from Tiangong University, China, in 2017. Her research focuses on 3D-printing prepared flexible piezoelectric electronics.

Xiangyu Gao received his B.E. degree in materials science and engineering from the Central South University, China, in 2014 and his Ph.D. degree in advanced materials and mechanics from Peking University, China, in 2019. He is now a lecturer in Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. His research focuses on piezoelectric materials and devices.

Xinyi Shen received her B.E. degree in the automated institute from the Beijing University of Science and Technology, China, in 2016 and her master's degree in advanced materials and mechanics from Peking University, China, in 2019. Her research focuses on automatic control and 3D printing device preparation.

Jikun Yang is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in advanced materials and mechanics from Peking University, Beijing, China. He received the B.E. degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, in 2016. His research interests include piezoelectric materials and devices, metamaterials, and 3D printing ceramics.

Zhanmiao Li is a Ph.D. candidate of advanced materials and mechanics at Peking University. She received the B.E. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, in 2018. Her research focuses on piezoelectric actuator.

Shuxiang Dong is a tenured professor of Materials Science & Engineering at College of Engineering, Peking University, China. He received his master degree and doctor degree from Tsinghua University, China, in 1989 and 1993, respectively. Professor Dong’s research focuses on piezoelectric ceramics and magnetoelectric composite materials, piezoelectric actuators and micromotors, magnetic sensors, smart electronic devices, and their applications. He has authored over 160 peer-reviewed papers and 30 patents. Prof. Dong was chosen as Most Cited Chinese Researchers in 2014–2019, who were regarded as most influential scientists in the world by Elsevier.

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