A flexible self-poled piezocomposite nanogenerator based on H2(Zr0.1Ti0.9)3O7 nanowires and polylactic acid biopolymer

The field of piezoelectric nanogenerators is rapidly growing as a promising technology for driving low-power portable devices and self-powered electronic systems by converting wasted mechanical energy into electric energy. In this study, we designed a flexible and self-poled piezocomposite nanogenerator based on lead-free H-2(Zr0.1Ti0.9)(3)O-7 (HZTO) nanowires and a polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable polymer. By using a piezoresponse force microscope (PFM), the piezoelectric coefficient (d(33)) of a single HZTO nanowire was found to be 26 pm V-1. The piezoelectric energy harvesting performances of a self-poled piezocomposite film fabricated by embedding core-shell structured HZTO nanowires by polydopamine into the PLA matrix were tested. The piezoelectric nanogenerator demonstrated enhanced output performances (an open-circuit voltage of 5.41 V, short-circuit current of 0.26 mu A and maximum power density of 463.5 mu W cm(-3) at a low resistive load of 2.5 M omega). Besides, the developed device can charge different capacitors by regular mechanical impartations and can power a red light-emitting LED diode by various biomechanical motions. This study reveals the benefits of combining HZTO nanowires and PLA biopolymer in designing high-performance piezoelectric nanocomposites for biomechanical energy harvesting.

Automated summary

A flexible and self-poled piezocomposite nanogenerator based on HZTO nanowires and PLA biopolymer was designed, and its energy harvesting performance and output performance were tested. The nanogenerator exhibited promising performance and was able to power other devices through biomechanical motions.