Molybdenum sulphide incorporated flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites for energy harvesting and water remediation by dye degradation via piezocatalysis
Ananya Aishwarya, Suvankar Mondal, Neelanjan Bhattacharjee, Titas Dasgupta, Arup R. Bhattacharyya
Abstract
Abstract Molybdenum sulphide (MoS 2 ) was incorporated into poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) matrix via melt‐mixing followed by solution casting, to prepare PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposite films with varying MoS 2 concentration. Piezoelectric properties of PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposites were significantly boosted by incorporation of MoS 2 in PVDF by aiding in the formation of polar phase in the PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposites. Formation of electroactive phases in PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposites was analyzed through Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopic analyses, which also highlighted the interactions between MoS 2 and PVDF dipoles. A remarkable polar phase content of ~97% was achieved in the PVDF/3 MoS 2 nanocomposite (containing 3 wt% MoS 2 ). Dielectric and ferroelectric investigations further supported the enhancement of interfacial polarization in PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposite films. Piezoelectric response of the fabricated devices was subsequently assessed, demonstrating an output voltage of ~96 V generated through human‐hand actuation on the PVDF/3 MoS 2 nanocomposite film. Additionally, the fabricated device exhibited a substantial volumetric power density of ~150 μW/cm 2 and a current density of ~7.2 μA/cm 2 . Notably, the optimized PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposite film exhibited significant degradation efficiencies of ~69.7% and ~67.4% in case of Methylene Blue and Rhodamine B dye, respectively. The successful fabrication of a piezocatalytic PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposite film provided valuable insights into the piezoelectric response for the degradation of various dyes. Highlights Self‐polarized PVDF/MoS 2 nanocomposite with high polar phase content (∼97%) has been achieved via melt‐mixing followed by solution casting. High d 33 value of ~72 pm/V was achieved in the PVDF/3 MoS 2 nanocomposite. PVDF/3 MoS 2 nanocomposite based piezoelectric nanogenerator can generate an output voltage of ~96 V under 3 N with sensitivity of ~26 V/N. Power density of ~150 μW/cm 2 and current density of ~7.2 μA/cm 2 were obtained. PVDF/3 MoS 2 nanocomposite film acted as an effective piezocatalysts for the degradation of organic dye with >69% efficiency.