Origin of Piezoelectricity in an Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) Nanofiber Web-Based Nanogenerator and Nano-Pressure Sensor

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 831 - 837
• Main Authors: Mandal, Dipankar, Yoon, Sun, Kim, Kap Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.06.2011; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: curie transition temperature; Dipoles; Electrospinning; electrospun nanofiber web; Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated - chemistry; infrared spectroscopy; Nanocomposites; Nanofibers - chemistry; nanogenerator; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Origins; P(VDF-TrFE); Piezoelectricity; Polymers - chemistry; preferential dipole orientation; Pressure; Rotation; Sensors; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Static Electricity; Transition Temperature; Vibration; Vinyl Compounds - chemistry
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100040

A single stage electrospinning process can give rise to preferentially oriented induced dipoles in poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF‐TrFE)] nanofibers. The piezoelectricity of as‐electrospun P(VDF‐TrFE) nanofiber webs opens up new possibilities for their use as a flexible nanogenerators and nano‐pressure sensors. In this work, the origin of the piezoelectricity has been spotlighted by randomization of the induced dipoles at the Curie temperature and analyzed by polarized FT‐IR spectroscopic techniques as well as by detecting the piezoelectric signal from a nano‐pressure sensor. The piezoelectricity in an electrospun P(VDF‐TrFE) nanofiber originates from the preferentially induced dipolar orientation, which does not need a further poling process after electrospinning. This is a promising indication of the ability to fabricate electrospun piezoelectric polymer‐based energy harvesting devices for realistic applications.