All-Polymer Piezo-Composites for Scalable Energy Harvesting and Sensing Devices
George-Theodor Stiubianu,
Adrian Bele,
Alexandra Bargan,
Violeta Otilia Potolinca,
Mihai Asandulesa,
Codrin Tugui,
Vasile Tiron,
Corneliu Hamciuc,
Mihaela Dascalu,
Maria Cazacu
Affiliations
George-Theodor Stiubianu
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Adrian Bele
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Alexandra Bargan
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Violeta Otilia Potolinca
Department of Polyaddition and Photochemistry, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Mihai Asandulesa
Department of Electroactive Polymers and Plasmochemistry, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Codrin Tugui
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Vasile Tiron
Research Center on Advanced Materials and Technologies, Department of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Bd. Carol I nr. 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania
Corneliu Hamciuc
Polycondensation and Thermostable Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Mihaela Dascalu
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Maria Cazacu
Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Silicone elastomer composites with piezoelectric properties, conferred by incorporated polyimide copolymers, with pressure sensors similar to human skin and kinetic energy harvester capabilities, were developed as thin film (2). The piezoelectric properties of the tested materials were determined using a dynamic mode of piezoelectric force microscopy. These composite materials bring together polydimethylsiloxane polymers with customized poly(siloxane-imide) copolymers (2–20 wt% relative to siloxanes), with siloxane segments inserted into the structure to ensure the compatibility of the components. The morphology of the materials as free-standing films was studied by SEM and AFM, revealing separated phases for higher polyimide concentration (10, 20 wt%). The composites show dielectric behavior with a low loss (−1) and a relative permittivity superior (3–4) to pure siloxane within a 0.1–106 Hz range. The composite in the form of a thin film can generate up to 750 mV under contact with a 30 g steel ball dropped from 10 cm high. This capability to convert a pressure signal into a direct current for the tested device has potential for applications in self-powered sensors and kinetic energy-harvesting applications. Furthermore, the materials preserve the known electromechanical properties of pure polysiloxane, with lateral strain actuation values of up to 6.2% at 28.9 V/μm.
