Piezoelectric enhancement of an electrospun AlN-doped P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber membrane

Piezoelectric materials are well known for their applications in self-powered sensing and mechanical energy harvesting. With the development of the Internet of things and wearable electronics, piezoelectric polymers are attracting more attention due to their advantages of flexibility, ease of fabrication and biocompatibility. However, low piezoelectric properties weaken their electrical response to external excitation. Doping is one convenient measure to improve their piezoelectric properties. Here we reported AlN-doping-induced piezoelectric enhancement in electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) nanofiber membranes. Piezoelectric property measurements under both perpendicular and transverse modes verified that a limited AlN doping of 0.1 wt% could effectively enhance the piezoelectric responses of P(VDF-TrFE)/AlN nanocomposite membranes. Based on such optimized nanofiber membranes, flexible and wearable piezoelectric sensors were further designed to detect finger movement, wrist artery pulse and multi-touch recognition. Our work provided a facile measure to fabricate high-electroactivity nanocomposite membranes for sensing applications in wearable and flexible electronics.