Investigation of piezoelectric energy harvesting performance of electrospun piezo polymer nano composite energy generator

Piezoelectric energy harvesting applications are widely used to convert the stagnant energies in the environment into efficient energy. Operating micro/nano electronic structures without needing an external power source is one of today's most important research fields. In this doctoral thesis, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) piezo polymer and PVDF/BaTiO3 (Barium titanate) piezo polymer nanocomposite nano energy generators were developed, and piezoelectric energy harvesting from vibration was performed. In the application of piezoelectric energy harvesting from high amplitude mechanical vibration, optimum solvent type, solution concentration, and piezo ceramic filler concentration parameters were determined for electrospun PVDF/BaTiO3 nanogenerators. For this, three different polymer concentrations (10%, 15%, 20%), four different solvent ratios (Acetone/DMF, 0:10, 2:8, 4:6, 6:4) and three different piezo nanoparticle filler ratios ( 5%, 10%, 15%) were used. Morphological and crystal structure investigations of thin-film nanofiber structures produced by electrospinning were performed by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) tests. Piezoelectric nanogenerators were connected to the cantilever beam structure system, and piezoelectric energy harvesting from vibration was performed. The highest piezoelectric power density output was obtained as 0,0143 µW/cm2 under 3.3 MΩ load resistance with the nanogenerator (PVDF/BaTiO3, 5% BaTiO3, 15% PVDF, Acetone/DMF (6:4)).