PVDF-bismuth titanate based self-powered flexible tactile sensor for biomechanical applications

Abstract

Flexible piezoelectric tactile sensors have attracted tremendous attention towards bio-healthcare monitoring and wearable applications. For piezoelectric tactile sensors, a careful selection of materials is important to maximize the piezoelectric effect and improve the measurement sensitivity. In this work, we synthesized a bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12 (BiTO), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite thin film-based self-powered tactile sensor. The electrical output was measured by alteration of the BiTO composition in the PVDF and the composite film thickness. The PENG device based on PVDF-10 wt% BiTO and 40 μm thickness deliver the highest voltage output of 41 V and maximum power density of 4.3 mW/m2. The sensor was further attached to the fingers or vocal cords demonstrating the detection of the different human motions without an external power source. These results pave the way towards the development of portable self-powered biomechanical sensors for rehabilitation, health care monitoring, and human–machine interface.