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The contribution of piezoelectric materials in electrical and electronic devices is increasing day by day owing to their promising unique characteristics. Here, polyvinylidene fluoride (P VDF) films were deposited on carbon fabric through solution cast technique. The evolution of ferroelectric β-phase in the films is controlled by the composition of the casting solution, number of layers of the films and drying conditions. The deposited films were characterized by FT IR, XRD, DSC, optical microscopy and open circuit voltage and closed-circuit current. The use of a hydrated salt in the casting solution, higher number of layers and drying in an oven at 50 °C results in higher content of β-phase. The observations depict that using this simple technique of deposition the output voltage and output current can be tailored as 95 V to 296 V and 1.5 μA to 5 μA for variable force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional smart textiles are of high popularity in recent era as the society faces serious challenges of health, protection, comfort, and energy requisite. The textiles incorporated with piezoelectric materials allow the widespread applications such as sensing, actuation and energy harvesting to directly assist the human towards a good quality life. Here, synthesis of the piezoelectric nanocomposite coatings on knitted fabrics through zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) enable the successful fabrication of flexible and efficient electroactive substrate for sensing of biomechanical motion. The substrate coated with 15 wt% ZnO in PVDF when attached to the finger demonstrated excellent response by producing the voltage from 0.6 V to 4.1 V upon bending from 10° to 90°. Furthermore, tailorable voltage and current responses have also been observed upon enforcing shear/impact stresses. The promising air permeability, antibacterial activity and hydrophobic characteristics enrich its suitability for application in wearable electronics where aesthetic and comfort are also needed along with functionality. This study demonstrates a textile based self-powered sensing system having multifunctional characteristics. [Display omitted] • Wearable piezoelectric strain sensors have been realized by facile coatings of PVDF/ZnO nanocomposites on textiles. • Multifunctionality such as hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity, breathability, and strain sensitivity is appreciated. • Incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles enhances β-phase of PVDF that contributes towards higher piezo response of the sensor. • As-developed sensing fabrics exhibit stable piezo responses upon longer exposure to deformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We report production of biosurfactant, its identification, and characterization. [•] The biosurfactant was used with pectinase in scouring of cotton fabric. [•] The treated fabric was characterized for various physico-chemical and textile properties. [•] Alkaline scouring deteriorates fabric and bioscouring gently removes hydrophobics. [•] Biosurfactant plus pectinase formulations are biocompatible and green alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]