Enhancement of composite polymer piezoelectric materials and their potential engineering applications

The advancement of technology is set to drive massive growth in the market for flexible and wearable electronics, impacting fields such as healthcare monitoring, human-machine interfaces, and soft robotics. Key components like sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters play crucial roles in these applications, where their accuracy, response speed, reliability, and durability are paramount. This thesis focuses on the synthesis, fabrication, and performance characterization of flexible piezoelectric materials, aiming to enhance their mechanical and sensing properties for practical use.
Chapter 3 introduces a novel ultrasonic spray coating technique for producing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films with improved uniformity and piezoelectric coefficients, a significant step for scalable production of high-quality sensors and energy harvesters. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 explore the integration of various nanofillers (BaTiO3, ZnO, and hafnium zirconium oxide) into the P(VDF-TrFE) matrix, which resulted in notable improvements in mechanical reinforcement and piezoelectric response.
Chapter 4 details the use of BaTiO3 nanoparticles to enhance the mechanical and sensing performance of composite films. Chapter 5 investigates ZnO as a cost-effective, biocompatible nanofiller, demonstrating the potential of optimal ZnO composites for large-scale production and wearable applications. Chapter 6 focuses on hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO), highlighting its benefits in enhancing the sensitivity, piezoelectric, and dielectric properties of composite films, with successful application as a cantilever energy harvester.
Overall, this research underscores the potential of tailored piezoelectric composites in wearable technology, biomedical devices, haptics, and robotics.