Modulating D33 Coefficients Through In Situ AgF and Ag2O Growth in PVDF Composites for High-Performance Piezoelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes, known for their flexibility, biocompatibility, and piezoelectricity, hold significant promise for energy harvesting applications in bioelectronics. Enhancing the beta-phase content is critical for improving device performance. This study presents an effective strategy to boost the relative concentration of beta-PVDF through the in situ growth of silver(I) fluoride (AgF) and silver oxide (Ag2O) nanoparticles (NPs). By optimizing the concentration of NPs, the beta-phase content in PVDF composite films increased to 91.4%. Dielectric analysis revealed a remarkable enhancement of the dielectric constant, reaching 30.1-over three times higher than that of pristine PVDF at 1000 Hz. Additionally, the piezoelectric coefficient of the optimized PVDF composite film improved by 50%, reaching approximate to 12 pC N-1. A prototype nanogenerator based on the optimized composite film achieved an open-circuit voltage of approximate to 35 V, a short-circuit current of approximate to 1.6 mu A, and an output power density of approximate to 25 mu W cm(-)(2) under 0.5 MPa compressive stress. The device successfully powered 10 blue LEDs and charged a 50 nF capacitor within 10 s. These findings highlight in-situ growth of silver-based nanoparticle in PVDF matrix provides a scalable approach for energy harvesting and storage technologies.