Abstract
Piezoelectric diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes (PNTs) have recently been demonstrated in energy harvesting applications, typically based on vertically aligned PNTs that generate charge when pressed. In this work, we use a wettability difference and an applied electric field to align PNTs and PNT-based composites on flexible substrates. Open-circuit voltages and short-circuit currents exceeding 6 V and 60 nA, respectively, are achieved by bending the substrate, opening up the use of horizontally aligned PNTs as flexible energy harvesting substrates.
Highlights
Energy harvesting with nanogenerators can accelerate the development of self-powered systems for personal and structural health monitoring and Internet of Things applications.[1,2,3,4] Piezoelectric materials are well-suited for harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations because of their inherent electromechanical coupling
In this work, building on previous reports of the effect of electric field on peptide nanotubes (PNTs) alignment[18] and polarization control,[8,9,14] we investigate the scitation.org/journal/jap combination of UV/ozone exposure and an applied electric field for the creation of horizontally aligned polarization controlled PNTs on flexible substrates with interdigitated electrodes for energy harvesting, achieving opencircuit voltages as large as 4.0 ± 0.5 V and currents as high as 37.5 ± 3.8 nA
A wettability difference created through selective UV/ozone exposure has been reported previously to drive the physical alignment of PNTs from the hydrophobic to the hydrophilic region compared to their random self-assembled arrangement in the absence of a wettability difference.[15]
Summary
Energy harvesting with nanogenerators can accelerate the development of self-powered systems for personal and structural health monitoring and Internet of Things applications.[1,2,3,4] Piezoelectric materials are well-suited for harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations because of their inherent electromechanical coupling. Piezoelectric nanogenerators are commonly made using inorganic materials with favorable piezoelectric coefficients and electromechanical coupling factors, such as zinc oxide and lead zirconate titanate.[5,6,7] The search for sustainable, “green” materials has led to the use of organic materials, including peptide-based materials, in piezoelectric energy harvesting applications.[8–14] Diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes (PNTs) have been reported to have high mechanical strength and produce a strong shear piezoelectric response (d15 = 46.6 pm/V), comparable to conventional inorganic piezoelectric materials, making PNTs an attractive energy harvesting material.[12].
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