Structural Characterization, Dielectric Properties and Energy Storage Performance of Co-Electrospun PVA and...

In this work, biodegradable poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) nanofibers were successfully fabricated via co-electrospinning. The morphology and microstructure of co-electrospun PVA/P(VDF-HFP) nanofibers were analyzed, demonstrating that P(VDF-HFP) incorporation significantly affected fiber diameter and phase distribution. These structural features altered the fiber diameter and surface area of the co-electrospun system, thereby affecting interfacial polarization and the resulting dielectric and energy storage performance. As a result, the dielectric constant of the PVA/P(VDF-HFP) nanofibers (M1) was enhanced by up to 1.8 times compared with pure PVA nanofibers (M0), owing to interfacial polarization arising from increased surface charge accumulation at the PVA/P(VDF-HFP) interfaces. Meanwhile, dielectric loss and electrical conductivity were effectively controlled, indicating improved electrical stability of the co-electrospun system. Furthermore, ferroelectric and energy storage analyses revealed that appropriate incorporation of P(VDF-HFP) and phase distribution significantly enhanced polarization and energy storage performance. The energy storage density increased from 0.83 to 3.21 mJ cm^-3 at 20 MV m^-1, corresponding to an improvement of 287% while maintaining a high energy efficiency of approximately 90%. Owing to their favorable dielectric properties, mechanical flexibility, and environmental compatibility, the co-electrospun PVA/P(VDF-HFP) nanofibers demonstrate great potential for low-field wearable and biomedical energy storage devices.