Enhancement of β‐Phase Crystalline Structure and Piezoelectric Properties of Flexible PVDF/Ionic Liquid Surfactant Composite Nanofibers for Potential Application in Sensing and Self‐Powering
Arezo Mahdavi Varposhti, Maryam Yousefzadeh, Elaheh Kowsari, Masoud Latifi
Abstract
Abstract Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a piezo‐polymer which among its crystalline phases, the β‐phase has been researched for the improvement of piezoelectric properties. In this study, to improve the β‐phase contents and thereby the piezoelectric response of the polymer, the effect of adding self‐synthesized ionic liquid surfactant (ILS) in PVDF nanofibers is studied. This material is added in different weight percentages into the PVDF solution and the nanofibers are produced by electrospinning to prepare active piezoelectric thin layers. SEM, XRD, FTIR, and piezo‐tests are employed for assessing the effect of the ILS on the enhancement of β‐phase in electrospun nanofibers and their piezoelectric performance. The results indicate ≈98.6% β‐phase formation in the sample containing 4 wt% ILS and in comparison with the pure nanofibers, the output voltage and its power density are improved 186.9% and 275%, respectively. Considering the results, it is suggested that the ILS can improve the piezoelectric response of the polymer in the fabricated structure by simple mixing in solution compared to other additives.