Controllable Core-Shell BaTiO3@Carbon Nanoparticle-Enabled P(VDF-TrFE) Composites: A Cost-Effective Approach to High-Performance Piezoelectric Nanogenerators

Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs), as a promising solution to harvest mechanical energy from ambient environment, have attracted much attention over the past decade. Here, the core-shell structured BaTiO3@Carbon (BT@C) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a simple surface-modifying method and then used to fabricate the efficient PENGs with poly[(vinylidene fluoride)-co-trifluoroethylene] (P(VDF-TrFE)). The carbon shell with the uniform thickness of 10-15 nm can increase the content of the polar beta phase in P(VDF-TrFE) and significantly enhance the interfacial polarization between BT NPs and the polymer matrix during the poling process. Out of all compositions, the 15 wt % BT@C/P(VDF-TrFE) PENG exhibited the optimal piezoelectric performance with an output voltage of similar to 17 V and a maximum power of 14.3 mu W under bending-releasing mode. More importantly, the PENG can also efficiently harvest other types of mechanical energy from human activities and exhibits stable output after 1500 bending-releasing cycles. When the PENG was bent and beat by bicycle spokes, a peak voltage of 16 V was generated, which can light up 12 white LEDs directly and charge the commercial capacitors. Our research provides a new strategy to fabricate flexible and efficient PENGs from a nanoscale viewpoint; it can be hopefully applied in energy-harvesting systems and wearable electric sensors.