Programming Piezoelectric Phase of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) via Hybrid Metal Halide Perovskite for Enhanced Electromechanical Performance

• Published in: Advanced energy materials Vol. 14; no. 35
• Main Authors: Gong, Yong‐Ji, Li, Zhi‐Gang, Guo, Tian‐Meng, Zhao, Chen, Zhang, Ying, He, Min, Yu, Jie, Li, Wei, Bu, Xian‐He
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Chlorine; Dipoles; Electromechanical devices; Energy harvesting; Fluorides; Fluorine; Fluoropolymers; Human performance; Hydrogen embrittlement; Manufacturability; metal halide perovskites; Metal halides; Nanocomposites; Perovskites; piezoelectric materials; Piezoelectricity; Polyvinylidene fluorides; ultrasound detection; Vinylidene fluoride
• ISSN: 1614-6832; 1614-6840
• DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202400241

Fluoropolymers and metal halide perovskites (MHPs), as two classes of important piezoelectric materials, suffer from active phases through a facile process and brittleness led poor manufacturability, respectively. Here, TMCM‐CdCl3/PVDF nanocomposites (TMCM = trimethylchloromethyl ammonium, PVDF = polyvinylidene fluoride) are synthesized to overcome the above shortcomings. The abundant hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl) sites in TMCM‐CdCl3 can interlock with H and fluorine (F) atoms within PVDF via C─H···Cl and C─H···F interactions. This programming effect augments the dipole alignment and consequently promotes the formation of polar phases within PVDF. The devices made by these nanocomposites exhibit high energy harvesting properties surpassing established MHP/PVDF analogues, and prominent performance in sensing delicate human motions. Moreover, the devices show exceptional capabilities for detecting underwater ultrasound waves. The signal intensity is ≈4 times that of commercial PVDF film devices, and the frequency distortion is only a quarter of that observed in commercial ceramic transducers. This study opens up new possibilities for developing high‐performance piezoelectric nanocomposites and the creation of advanced electromechanical devices. The 1D metal halide perovskite has abundant hydrogen and halogen atoms, which allows them to form intermolecular interlocking with poly(vinylidene fluoride). This enables the facile programming of fluoropolymer chains from the random configuration to the polar phase in the formed nanocomposites. The corresponding devices exhibit exceptional capabilities for harvesting mechanical energy and detecting underwater ultrasound waves.