Development of flexible PVDF/ BaTiO3-MoS2 polymer nanocomposites for energy harvesting and gas sensing applications

Abstract

The need for flexible and wearable devices is quite great in the modern era of advanced electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT). Here, we present a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/Barium Titanate–Molybdenum Disulfide (BaTiO3–MoS2) composite-based flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) with an improved electroactive phase. The electroactive, β-phase of the PVDF is shown to increase with the addition of BaTiO3–MoS2 fillers as a result of the filler’s good interfacial interaction with the polymer matrix. The improved electroactive phase in the PVDF matrix was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction method and FTIR analysis of the composite films. The uniform dispersion of filler particles in the polymer matrix was confirmed by a scanning electron microscopy analysis. The developed piezoelectric nanogenerator device generated peak-to-peak output voltage of 4.9 V with a high dielectric constant of 22 and a low dielectric loss of 4.7. The fabricated gas sensor can perform at room temperature and exhibits good gas sensing performance toward the NH3 gas. It was found that, compared to all other samples, the composite PVDF/BaTiO3–MoS2 films had a high level of sensitivity. Additionally, the composite films showed response and recovery times of 11 and 17 s. The composite based on PVDF/BaTiO3–MoS2 is a suitable material for NH3 sensor applications.