Enhancing the Piezoelectricity of PVDF-BaTiO3 Nanofibers by Incorporation of ZnO Nanoparticles Fabricated Via Two-Way Electrospinning Technique

Abstract

This study aimed to fabricate lead-free PVDF-BaTiO₃ + ZnO and PVDF-BaTiO₃/PVDF-ZnO electrospun nanofibers to enhance the piezoelectric properties of PVDF-BaTiO₃ nanofibers through the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles and PVDF-ZnO nanofibers. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was utilized to examine the morphology, size, and formation of the nanofibers, revealing well-formed structures with a reduced average diameter. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was conducted to analyze and compare the content of β-phase in the nanofibers, indicating a higher β-phase content in both PVDF-BaTiO₃ + ZnO and PVDF-BaTiO₃/PVDF-ZnO electrospun nanofibers compared to PVDF-BaTiO₃ electrospun nanofibers alone. The piezoelectric performance, measured as an output voltage generated by the nanofibers under applied pressure using a custom device, demonstrated improved results when ZnO nanoparticles and PVDF-ZnO nanofibers were incorporated into the structure. The findings of this investigation suggest that the addition of ZnO nanoparticles and PVDF-ZnO nanofibers into PVDF-BaTiO₃ nanofibers leads to better piezoelectric composites, making them suitable for applications in energy harvesting and wearable electronic devices.