Electrohydrodynamically Processed Poly-(Vinylidene Fluoride)/Polyaniline Composite Film on Soft Tissue Paper for Mechanoelectrical Energy Conversion and Vibration Sensing

Abstract

Electrohydrodynamic processing including electrospinning and electrospraying is suitable for depositing controllable structures in fiber or film form. In this work, the electrohydrodynamic approach was used to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polyaniline composite film. Scanning electron microscopic analysis was performed to show the morphology of the film on soft tissue paper. Self-poling of the film was found due to the high voltage application in the electrohydrodynamic process. The addition of polyaniline into PVDF improves the conductivity of the film significantly. Mechanoelectrical response of the film was demonstrated by measuring the open circuit voltage of the specimens under bending. The peak voltage generated is over 1.2 V due to the bending deformation of the film. The film has ultrafast response to the deformation. It is concluded that the film has multiple functions for mechanoelectrical energy conversion, vibration sensing, and structural integrity monitoring applications.