Controllable core-shell BaTiO3@Carbon nanoparticles enabled P(VDF-TrFE) composites: a cost-effective approach to high-performance piezoelectric nanogenerators

Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs), as a promising solution to harvest mechanical energy from ambient environment, have attracted much attention over the past decade. Here, the core-shell structured BaTiO3@Carbon (BT@C) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by simple surface-modifying method and then used to fabricate the efficient PENGs with poly [(vinylidene fluoride)-co-trifluoroethylene] (P(VDF-TrFE)). The carbon shell with the uniform thickness of 10-15nm can increase the content of polar β phase in P(VDF-TrFE), and significantly enhance the interfacial polarization between BT NPs and polymer matrix during poling process. Out of all compositions, 15wt% BT@C/ P(VDF-TrFE) PENG exhibited the optimal piezoelectric performance with an output voltage of ~17V and the maximum power of 14.3μW under bending-releasing mode. More importantly, the PENG can also efficiently harvest other types of mechanical energy from human activities and exhibits stable output after 1500 bending-releasing cycles. When the PENG ...