Architecting Three-Dimensional Porous Energy Harvesters with Bamboo-Like Filaments for Enhanced Piezoelectric...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Harvesting

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) offer flexible structures and customizable designs for efficient electromechanical conversion.
• Designing 3D PEHs with enhanced strain for higher piezoelectric output presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel 3D porous bamboo-structured PVDF/MXene PEH using 3D printing and solvent exchange.
• To enhance strain and electromechanical conversion efficiency through tailored macro- and micro-3D structures.
• To investigate the effect of MXene incorporation on PVDF's β-crystal content and piezoelectric performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3D printing and solvent exchange to fabricate a 3D porous bamboo-structured PVDF/MXene PEH.
• Tailored hollow structures by controlling temperature and solvent concentration.
• Incorporated MXene to enhance the β-crystal phase content of PVDF.

Main Results:

• Achieved a high β-crystal content of 92.6% in the PVDF/MXene PEH.
• Generated a piezoelectric output of 47 V and a maximum sensitivity of 0.727 V/kPa.
• Demonstrated the PEH's potential as a self-powered pressure sensor for monitoring human motion.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D PEH exhibits superior electromechanical conversion efficiency, surpassing most reported PVDF-based sensors.
• The combination of 3D printing, solvent exchange, and MXene offers a universal strategy for high-performance piezoelectric energy harvesting.
• This approach paves the way for advanced applications in smart sensing and energy harvesting.