Improved piezoelectric and conductive properties of bent-core liquid crystal-polymer composites for sustainable energy harvesting

IF 21.8 2区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, COMPOSITES

Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials Pub Date : 2025-10-01 DOI:10.1007/s42114-025-01391-1

Kaustav Jit Bora, Supreet Kaur, Aloka Sinha

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Abstract

Organic piezoelectric polymer materials have recently garnered substantial interest owing to their potential applications in sustainable as well as renewable energy sources for small-power electronics. In the present work, a novel bent-core liquid crystal (BCLC) (6-F-OH) is infused with the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) host that demonstrates an augmented piezoelectric performance with an elevated electrical conductivity. A simple yet cost-effective fabrication process is employed to achieve high-efficiency piezoelectric polymer composite free-standing films with improved flexibility for future-ready wearable device applications. A comprehensive investigation of the role of BCLCs in promoting the electroactive polar β-phase within the host polymer is conducted. The energy harvesting performances were evaluated at varying frequencies for the optimization of the BCLC-infused composite-based piezoelectric devices. The result reveals a maximum piezoelectric performance at 3 wt.% concentration of BCLC producing an output open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of ≈ 25 V_PP and short circuit current (I_SC) of ≈ 700 nA, a multi-fold enhancement as compared to pristine PVDF-based devices. Moreover, the composite film with 3 wt.% BCLC/PVDF demonstrates the highest remnant polarization and dielectric constant value among all the samples. The effective rise in the electrical conductivity of the BCLC-infused composite at an optimized weight fraction over its pristine PVDF counterpart is also discussed based on the percolative pathways produced by the BCLCs at the interfaces of the composite domains. Finally, some of the applications of the devised organic energy harvesters are demonstrated. The proposed integration of such LCs with the PVDF opens a unique pathway towards an all-organic polymer composite-based energy harvesting device for self-powered device applications.

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用于可持续能量收集的弯芯液晶-聚合物复合材料的压电和导电性能的改进

有机压电聚合物材料由于其在小功率电子产品的可持续和可再生能源方面的潜在应用，最近引起了人们的极大兴趣。在目前的工作中，一种新型弯核液晶（BCLC）（6-F-OH）注入聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）宿主，显示出增强的压电性能和提高的导电性。采用一种简单而经济的制造工艺，实现了高效的压电聚合物复合材料独立薄膜，具有更高的灵活性，可用于未来的可穿戴设备应用。全面研究了bclc在促进宿主聚合物内电活性极性β相中的作用。为了优化注入bclc的复合材料压电器件，对不同频率下的能量收集性能进行了评估。结果表明，当BCLC浓度为3 wt.%时，压电性能达到最大值，输出开路电压（VOC）约为25 VPP，短路电流（ISC）约为700 nA，与原始pvdf器件相比，提高了数倍。BCLC/PVDF含量为3 wt.%的复合膜的残余极化和介电常数值最高。基于bclc在复合畴界面产生的渗透途径，还讨论了bclc注入复合材料的电导率在优化重量分数下比原始PVDF的有效提高。最后，介绍了所设计的有机能量采集器的一些应用。这种lc与PVDF的集成为基于自供电设备应用的全有机聚合物复合材料的能量收集设备开辟了一条独特的途径。

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来源期刊

Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials Multiple-

CiteScore

26.00

自引率

21.40%

发文量

185

期刊介绍： Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials is a leading international journal that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration among materials scientists, engineers, chemists, biologists, and physicists working on composites, including nanocomposites. Our aim is to facilitate rapid scientific communication in this field. The journal publishes high-quality research on various aspects of composite materials, including materials design, surface and interface science/engineering, manufacturing, structure control, property design, device fabrication, and other applications. We also welcome simulation and modeling studies that are relevant to composites. Additionally, papers focusing on the relationship between fillers and the matrix are of particular interest. Our scope includes polymer, metal, and ceramic matrices, with a special emphasis on reviews and meta-analyses related to materials selection. We cover a wide range of topics, including transport properties, strategies for controlling interfaces and composition distribution, bottom-up assembly of nanocomposites, highly porous and high-density composites, electronic structure design, materials synergisms, and thermoelectric materials. Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials follows a rigorous single-blind peer-review process to ensure the quality and integrity of the published work.