Design of piezoelectric nanogenerator based on BiFeO₃/epoxy resin with potential application for wearable electronic devices

Growing demand for electric energy in newly developed electronic systems causes increasing interest in research on piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs). Design and fabrication of such devices is challenging, considering cost of materials used in their construction. This is the main reason why intensive research has begun on 0-3 composites with piezoelectric properties. One of the most promising constituent materials for composites fabrication are polymers, due to their low cost and easy processing. Herein, we present fabricated wearable PENG with good impact and vibration energy conversion properties. Correlation between matrix stiffness and piezoelectric properties of 0-3 type composite is proposed. It was found that composite with 10 wt.% of BiFeO3 particles exhibits power output density for vibrations, finger tapping, and air stream pressure P = 11.12 nW cm(-3), P = 4.83 mu W cm(-3), and P = 769.2 mu W cm(-3), respectively. Decrease in stiffness of epoxy matrix results at least in two-times lower power output density for this same PENG. The obtained results demonstrate that the fabricated BFO/epoxy composites show the wide applicability and potential to be integrated with other functional devices, for example, as a part of wearable devices in smart shoes.