Preparation of PVDF-HFP/CB/Ni nanocomposite films for piezoelectric energy harvesting

As a representative flexible piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymers have been widely used in energy harvesters and piezoelectric sensors. In this work, hybrid nanocomposite films were prepared by adding a small amount of carbon black (CB) and Ni nanoparticles to the poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) matrix using the solution casting method, followed by stretching and poling to increase the electroactive β-phase content. The results show that the hybrid fillers consisting of 0.3 wt% CB and 0.1 wt% Ni nanoparticles exhibit the best piezoelectric performance. The maximum output voltage of the PVDF-HFP/CB/Ni films reaches 3.5 V under 1 mm micro-vibration, which is 75% higher than that of pure PVDF-HFP films. Characterization results by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, and differential scanning calorimeter analysis show that the hybrid fillers are more effective in promoting the phase transformation from the α-phase to the β-phase in the matrix due to synergistic effect.