Effect of silicone coupling agent on dielectric properties of barium titanate/silicone elastomer composites

Self-Powering Gas Sensing System Enabled by Double-Layer Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Poly(2-vinylpyridine)@BaTiO3 Core-Shell Hybrids with Superior Dispersibility and Uniformity

Current core-shell hybrids used in diverse energy-related applications possess limited dispersibility and film uniformity that govern their overall performances. Herein, we showcase superdispersible core-shell hybrids (P2VP@BaTiO3) composed of a poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) (5-20 wt %) and a barium titanate oxide (BaTiO3), maximizing dielectric constants by forming the high-quality uniform films. The P2VP@BaTiO3-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), especially the 10 wt % P2VP (P2VP10@BaTiO3)-based one, deliver significantly enhanced output performances compared to physically mixed P2VP/BaTiO3 counterparts. The P2VP10@BaTiO3-based double-layer TENG exhibits not only an excellent transferred charge density of 281.7 μC m-2 with a power density of 27.2 W m-2 but also extraordinary device stability (∼100% sustainability of the maximum output voltage for 54,000 cycles and ∼68.7% voltage retention even at 99% humidity). Notably, introducing the MoS2/SiO2/Ni-mesh layer into this double-layer TENG enables ultrahigh charge density of up to 1228 μC m-2, which is the top value reported for the TENGs so far. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a near-field communication-based sensing system for monitoring CO2 gas using our developed self-powered generator with enhanced output performance and robustness.

Synthesis and Characterization of Core-Double-Shell-Structured PVDF-grafted-BaTiO3/P(VDF-co-HFP) Nanocomposite Films

Core-double-shell-structured nanocomposite films consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride-grafted-barium titanate (PVDF-g-BT) incorporated into a P(VDF-co-hexafluoropropylene (HFP)) copolymer matrix were produced via a solution mixing method for energy storage applications. The resulting films were thoroughly investigated via spectroscopic, thermal, and morphological analyses. Thermogravimetric data provided an enhancement of the thermal stability, while differential scanning calorimetry indicated an increase in the crystallinity of the films after the addition of PVDF-g-BT. Moreover, broadband dielectric spectroscopy revealed three dielectric processes, namely, glass-rubber relaxation (α_a), relaxation associated with the polymer crystalline phase (α_c), and slower relaxation in the nanocomposites resulting from the accumulation of charge on the interface between the PVDF-g-BT filler and the P(VDF-co-HFP) matrix. The dependence of the dielectric constant from the composition was analyzed, and we found that the highest permittivity enhancement was obtained by the highest concentration filler added to the largest concentration of P(VDF-co-HFP). Mechanical analysis revealed an improvement in Young's modulus for all nanocomposites versus pristine P(VDF-co-HFP), confirming the uniformity of the distribution of the PVDF-g-BT nanocomposite with a strong interaction with the copolymer matrix, as also evidenced via scanning electron microscopy. The suggested system is promising for use in high-energy-density storage devices as supercapacitors.

Effect of Hydrothermal Treatment and Doping on the Microstructural Features of Sol-Gel Derived BaTiO3 Nanoparticles

Barium Titanate (BaTiO₃) is one of the most promising lead-free ferroelectric materials for the development of piezoelectric nanocomposites for nanogenerators and sensors. The miniaturization of electronic devices is pushing researchers to produce nanometric-sized particles to be embedded into flexible polymeric matrices. Here, we present the sol-gel preparation of crystalline BaTiO₃ nanoparticles (NPs) obtained by reacting barium acetate (Ba(CH₃COO)₂) and titanium (IV) isopropoxide (Ti(OⁱPr)₄). The reaction was performed both at ambient conditions and by a hydrothermal process carried on at 200 °C for times ranging from 2 to 8 h. Doped BaTiO₃ nanoparticles were also produced by addition of Na, Ca, and Bi cations. The powders were annealed at 900 °C in order to improve NPs crystallinity and promote the cubic-to-tetragonal (c⟶t) phase transformation. The microstructural features of nanoparticles were investigated in dependence of both the hydrothermal reaction time and the presence of dopants. It is found that short hydrothermal treatment (2 h) can produce BaTiO₃ spherical and more homogeneous nanoparticles with respect to longer hydrothermal treatments (4 h, 6 h, 8 h). These particles (2 h) are characterized by decreased dimension (approx. 120 nm), narrower size distribution and higher tetragonality (1.007) in comparison with particles prepared at ambient pressure (1.003). In addition, the short hydrothermal treatment (2 h) produces particles with tetragonality comparable to the one obtained after the longest process (8 h). Finally, dopants were found to affect to different extents both the c⟶t phase transformation and the crystallite sizes.

Enhanced dielectric properties and thermostability in polyimide composites with core-shell structured polyimide@BaTiO3 nanoparticles

Polymer composites with high dielectric constant and thermal stability have shown great potential applications in the fields relating to the energy storage. Herein, core-shell structured polyimide@BaTiO3 (PI@BT) nanoparticles were fabricated via in-situ polymerization of poly(amic acid) (PAA) and the following thermal imidization, then utilized as fillers to prepare PI composites. Increased dielectric constant with suppressed dielectric loss, and enhanced energy density as well as heat resistance were simultaneously realized due to the presence of PI shell between BT nanoparticles and PI matrix. The dielectric constant of PI@BT/PI composites with 55 wt% fillers increased to 15.0 at 100 Hz, while the dielectric loss kept at low value of 0.0034, companied by a high energy density of 1.32 J·cm−3, which was 2.09 times higher than the pristine PI. Moreover, the temperature at 10 wt% weight loss reached 619°C, demonstrating the excellent thermostability of PI@BT/PI composites. In addition, PI@BT/PI composites exhibited improved breakdown strength and toughness as compared with the BT/PI composites due to the well dispersion of PI@BT nanofillers and the improved interfacial interactions between nanofillers and polymer matrix. These results provide useful information for the structural design of high-temperature dielectric materials.

Core–shell structured poly(vinylidene fluoride)-grafted-BaTiO3 nanocomposites prepared via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of VDF for high energy storage capacitors

Core–shell structured PVDF-g-BaTiO₃ nanocomposites were prepared by surface-initiated RAFT of VDF from BaTiO₃ nanoparticles.

3D Printed Electrically-Driven Soft Actuators

Soft robotics is an emerging field enabled by advances in the development of soft materials with properties commensurate to their biological counterparts, for the purpose of reproducing locomotion and other distinctive capabilities of active biological organisms. The development of soft actuators is fundamental to the advancement of soft robots and bio-inspired machines. Among the different material systems incorporated in the fabrication of soft devices, ionic hydrogel-elastomer hybrids have recently attracted vast attention due to their favorable characteristics, including their analogy with human skin. Here, we demonstrate that this hybrid material system can be 3D printed as a soft dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) with a unimorph configuration that is capable of generating high bending motion in response to an applied electrical stimulus. We characterized the device actuation performance via applied (i) ramp-up electrical input, (ii) cyclic electrical loading, and (iii) payload masses. A maximum vertical tip displacement of 9.78 ± 2.52 mm at 5.44 kV was achieved from the tested 3D printed DEAs. Furthermore, the nonlinear actuation behavior of the unimorph DEA was successfully modeled using analytical energetic formulation and a finite element method (FEM).