Improving piezoelectric performance of lead-free polymer composites with high aspect ratio BaTiO3 nanowires

Abstract Flexible and lead-free piezoelectric nanocomposites were synthesized with BaTiO 3 nanowires (filler) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) (matrix), and the piezoelectric performances of the composites were systematically studied by varying the aspect ratio (AR) and volume fraction of the nanowire and poling time. BaTiO 3 nanowires with AR of 18 were synthesized and incorporated into PVDF to improve the piezoelectric performance of the composites. It was found that high AR significantly increased the dielectric constant up to 64, which is over 800% improvement compared to those from the composites containing spheroid shape BaTiO 3 nanoparticles. In addition, the dielectric constant and piezoelectric coefficient were also enhanced by increasing the concentration of BaTiO 3 nanowires. The piezoelectric coefficient with 50-vol% BaTiO 3 nanowires embedded in PVDF displayed 61 pC/N, which is much higher than nanocomposites with spheroid shape BaTiO 3 nanoparticles as well as comparable to, if not better, other nanoparticle-filled polymer composites. Our results suggest that it is possible to fabricate nanocomposites with proper mechanical and piezoelectric properties by utilizing proper AR fillers.

[1]  R. Gregorio,et al.  Dielectric behaviour of thin films of β-PVDF/PZT and β-PVDF/BaTiO3 composites , 1996, Journal of Materials Science.

[2]  Xiaolin Liu,et al.  Improved dielectric strength of barium titanate-polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposite , 2009 .

[3]  K. R. Dayas,et al.  PVDF‐PZT‐5H composites prepared by hot press and tape casting techniques , 2007 .

[4]  Tiandong Zhang,et al.  Enhanced dielectric properties of PVDF-HFP/BaTiO3-nanowire composites induced by interfacial polarization and wire-shape , 2015 .

[5]  Masatoshi Adachi,et al.  Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics with Large Dielectric and Piezoelectric Constants Manufactured from BaTiO3 Nano-Powder , 2007 .

[6]  Yves Leterrier,et al.  The effect of processing conditions on the morphology, thermomechanical, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of P(VDF-TrFE)/BaTiO3 composites , 2012, Journal of Materials Science.

[7]  Zhong Lin Wang,et al.  BaTiO3 Nanotubes-Based Flexible and Transparent Nanogenerators. , 2012, The journal of physical chemistry letters.

[8]  Lin Guo,et al.  Fabrication of radial ZnO nanowire clusters and radial ZnO/PVDF composites with enhanced dielectric properties , 2008 .

[9]  Haisheng Xu,et al.  High-dielectric-constant ceramic-powder polymer composites , 2000 .

[10]  P. Benes,et al.  Comparison of methods of piezoelectric coefficient measurement , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference Proceedings.

[11]  R. Patil,et al.  Novel polyaniline/PVDF/BaTiO3 hybrid composites with high piezo-sensitivity , 2007 .

[12]  J. Zha,et al.  Improving dielectric properties of BaTiO₃/ferroelectric polymer composites by employing surface hydroxylated BaTiO₃ nanoparticles. , 2011, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[13]  Lijie Dong,et al.  Enhancement of dielectric constant and piezoelectric coefficient of ceramic-polymer composites by interface chelation , 2009 .

[14]  M. Tabuchi,et al.  Grain size dependence of dielectric properties of ultrafine BaTiO3 prepared by a sol-crystal method , 1997 .

[15]  M. Xue,et al.  BaTiO3–polyethersulfone nanocomposites with high dielectric constant and excellent thermal stability , 2011 .

[16]  Prasanta Kumar Panda,et al.  Review: environmental friendly lead-free piezoelectric materials , 2009, Journal of Materials Science.

[17]  Xiaping Chen,et al.  Preparation and properties of polymer matrix piezoelectric composites containing aligned BaTiO3 whiskers , 2004 .

[18]  D. Das-gupta,et al.  Dielectric properties and spatial distribution of polarization of ceramic + polymer composite sensors , 2001 .

[19]  Lae-Hyong Kang,et al.  A Study on Impact Monitoring Using a Piezoelectric Paint Sensor , 2015 .

[20]  Vincent Bley,et al.  Hydrothermal synthesis of nanosized BaTiO3 powders anddielectric properties of corresponding ceramics , 2005 .

[21]  R. Linhardt,et al.  Effect of high aspect ratio filler on dielectric properties of polymer composites: a study on barium titanate fibers and graphene platelets , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.

[22]  Gopalan Srinivasan,et al.  Shape-Controlled Monocrystalline Ferroelectric Barium Titanate Nanostructures: From Nanotubes and Nanowires to Ordered Nanostructures , 2008 .

[23]  Henry A. Sodano,et al.  The effect of particle aspect ratio on the electroelastic properties of piezoelectric nanocomposites , 2010 .

[24]  K. T. Ramesh,et al.  The mechanical properties of lead-titanate/polymer 0–3 composites , 1999 .

[25]  J. Zhang,et al.  Hydrothermal synthesis and photoluminescence of TiO2 nanowires , 2002 .

[26]  L. Gao,et al.  Tetragonal Nanocrystalline Barium Titanate Powder: Preparation, Characterization, and Dielectric Properties , 2003 .

[27]  S. Bauer-Gogonea,et al.  Flexible ceramic–polymer composite films with temperature-insensitive and tunable dielectric permittivity , 2002 .

[28]  T. SAKAKIBARA,et al.  Development of high-voltage photovoltaic micro-devices for an energy supply to micromachines , 1994, 1994 5th International Symposium on Micro Machine and Human Science Proceedings.

[29]  R. W. Schwartz,et al.  Prediction of effective permittivity of diphasic dielectrics using an equivalent capacitance model , 2008 .

[30]  Takaaki Tsurumi,et al.  Preparation of nm-Sized Barium Titanate Fine Particles and Their Powder Dielectric Properties , 2003 .

[31]  R. Dorey,et al.  Effect of sintering aid and repeated sol infiltrations on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of a PZT composite thick film , 2002 .

[32]  Haixiong Tang,et al.  Nanocomposites with increased energy density through high aspect ratio PZT nanowires , 2011, Nanotechnology.

[33]  A. Peláiz‐Barranco,et al.  Dielectric relaxation and electrical conductivity in ferroelectric ceramic/polymer composite based on modified lead titanate , 2007 .

[34]  H. Sodano,et al.  Relationship between BaTiO₃ nanowire aspect ratio and the dielectric permittivity of nanocomposites. , 2014, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[35]  M. Ratner,et al.  Nanoparticle, Size, Shape, and Interfacial Effects on Leakage Current Density, Permittivity, and Breakdown Strength of Metal Oxide−Polyolefin Nanocomposites: Experiment and Theory , 2010 .