PVDF Nanofibers with Embedded Polyaniline-Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheet Composites for Piezoelectric Energy Conversion

Abstract

Herein, a facile approach was used to synthesize an ultrasensitive, durable, and flexible electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/polyaniline (PANI)/graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>) blend nanocomposite fibers (PPBF) based piezoelectric nanogenerator. PANI/g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> nanocomposite (PGNC) was prepared prior to its dispersal in PVDF. This unpretentious synthesis approach exploited the ?-nucleating activity of g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> along with the enhancement of electrical conductivity due to a network of PANI within individual PVDF nanofibers. Addition of PGNC and electrospinning synergistically enhanced the ?-phase content (?97%) of PVDF. The PPBF nanogenerator displayed remarkable improvement in the voltage and current output compared to pristine PVDF nanofibers (?1300%). The nanogenerator generated a voltage output of ?30 V and current output of 3.7 ?A with high stability and reproducibility (>50※000 cycles). The PPBF nanogenerator exhibited high-power density and conversion efficiency and was able to light up 70 commercial LEDs. The newly developed high performance nanogenerator could be a potential material in smart, self-powered wearable devices. © 2019 American Chemical Society.