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Updated: May 11, 2026

A Polymer-based Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester with a 3D Meshed-Core Structure
Published on: February 20, 2019
Helical conformation endows poly-l-lactic acid fibers with a piezoelectric charge under tensile stress
Yasuji Harada1, Kunihiko Kadono, Tomohiro Terao
1Division of Veterinary Surgery, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan.
Abstract:
Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) has been clinically used as a bioabsorbable material and attains a piezoelectric charge upon molecular orientation by the application of a shear force to the C-axis of the crystal line region. Previous studies showed that implanted drawn PLLA films or rods accelerate the ossification due to piezoelectric effect. In this study, we originally designed helically-twisted PLLA fiber to produce piezoelectricity in bioabsorbable suture upon tensile stress. The piezoelectricity of the helical PLLA fibers was evaluated using a lock-in amplifier system in vitro. The ossification induced by helical PLLA fibers was examined by implanting them in the rat patellar ligament supporting a physiological tensile load. We observed that 57° and 45° twisted PLLA fibers generated a higher piezoelectric potential than did 27° twisted fibers. The animal experiment showed that the formation of osseous tissue around helical PLLA fibers was more significant than around non-helical control fibers at 4 weeks after their implantation. These results suggest that helical PLLA fiber may be useful for the surgical suture or artificial ligament, which connects to the bone.
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