Re-usable self-poled piezoelectric/piezocatalytic films with exceptional energy harvesting and water remediation capability

Abstract The need for sustainable technologies to address environmental pollution and energy crisis is paramount. Here we present a novel multifunctional nanocomposite, free standing film by combining piezoelectric molybdenum sulphide (MoS2) nanoflower with poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer, which can harness otherwise wasted mechanical energy for useful energy generation and/or water purification. The unique MoS2 nanoflower morphology is exploited to render the whole nanocomposite piezo active. A number of features are demonstrated to establish potential practical usage. Firstly, the nanocomposite is piezoelectric and piezocatalytic simultaneously without requiring any poling step (i.e. self-poled). Secondly, the self-poled piezoelectricity is exploited to make a nanogenerator. The nanogenerator produced >80 V under human finger tapping with a remarkable power density, reaching 47.14 mW cm−3. The nanocomposite film is made by simple solution casting, and the corresponding nanogenerator powers up 25 commercial LEDs by finger tapping. Last but not the least, the developed films show efficient, fast and stable piezocatalytic dye degradation efficiency (>90% within 20 min) against four different toxic and carcinogenic dyes under dark condition. Reusability of at least 10 times is also demonstrated without any loss of catalytic activity. Overall, our nanocomposite has clear potential for use as self-powered sensor and energy harvester, and in water remediation systems. It should potentially also be deployable as a surface mounted film/coating in process engineering, industrial effluent management and healthcare devices systems.