Mechanical energy harvesting properties of free-standing carbyne enriched carbon film derived from dehydrohalogenation of polyvinylidene fluoride

Abstract

The development of functional materials towards mechanical energy harvesting applications is rapidly increasing during this decade. In this study, we are reporting the mechanical energy harvesting properties of free-standing carbyne-enriched carbon film (prepared via dehydrohalogenation of PVDF). Physico-chemical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy, and laser Raman spectral analyses confirmed the formation of the carbyne-enriched carbon film. The Raman mapping analysis revealed the homogeneous distribution of cumulenic (β-carbyne) networks in carbonoid matrix of the prepared film. The mechanical energy harvesting properties of carbyne-enriched carbon film have been examined under various applied compressive forces. The carbyne-enriched carbon film based energy harvester generates a peak to peak voltage of 6.48 V using a periodic force of 0.2 N, and the output voltage is directly proportional to the levels of applied compressive force. The carbyne-enriched carbon film based energy harvester possesses an instantaneous power density of about 72 nW cm−2 with excellent electromechanical stability. These experimental findings ensure the use of carbyne-enriched carbon film as a mechanical energy harvester for the first time, which can create new insights towards the development of carbon-based mechanical energy harvesters.