Electroprinting of MWCNT-assisted PVDF thin films with enhanced electrical properties

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) thin film with good electrical properties is usually used as a piezoelectric sensor or energy harvesting device. It has a broad potential application prospect in the fields of damage detection, structural vibration, medical devices, and artificial intelligence. In the work, PVDF/MWCNTs thin films were prepared by electroprinting method. The effect of the intercalation of MWCNTs on the β-PVDF formation and the mechanism of improving the electrical properties of PVDF piezoelectric thin films in the electroprinting process were discussed. The results show that the doping of MWCNTs promotes the crystallinity and the β-phase content of PVDF films in the electric field. With the increase of the amount of MWCNTs added, the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the PVDF/MWCNTs thin film are correspondingly improved. However, the dielectric loss of the film is reduced. Due to the preparation and polarization of the film in the electroprinting process are unified, the PVDF piezoelectric film without poling shows excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties.