Interfacial Piezoelectric Polarization Locking in Printable Ti$_{3}$C$_{2}$T$_{\mathit{x}}$ MXene-Fluoropolymer Composites

TL;DR

This paper uncovers a novel polarization locking phenomenon in PVDF-TrFE when combined with Ti3C2Tx MXene, enabling high-performance, low-energy piezoelectric energy harvesting without electrical poling.

Contribution

It reveals a new polarization locking mechanism in fluoropolymer/MXene composites, enhancing piezoelectric performance and eliminating the need for electrical poling.

Findings

Polarization locking occurs perpendicular to MXene basal plane.

Piezoelectric coefficient d33 measured at -52.0 pC/N, surpassing electrically poled PVDF-TrFE.

Electrostatic interactions drive the polarization locking phenomenon.

Abstract

Piezoelectric fluoropolymers convert mechanical energy to electricity and are ideal for sustainably providing power to electronic devices. To convert mechanical energy, a net polarization must be induced in the fluoropolymer, which is currently achieved via an energy intensive electrical poling process. Eliminating this process will enable the low-energy production of efficient energy harvesters. Here, by combining molecular dynamics simulations, piezoresponse force microscopy, and electrodynamic measurements, we reveal a hitherto unseen polarization locking phenomena of poly(vinylidene fluoride-$\mathit{co}$-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) perpendicular to the basal plane of two-dimensional (2D) Ti$_{3}$C$_{2}$T$_{\mathit{x}}$ MXene nanosheets. This polarization locking, driven by strong electrostatic interactions enabled exceptional energy harvesting performance, with a measured piezoelectric charge coefficient, $\mathit{d_{33}}$, of -52.0 picocoulombs per newton, significantly higher than electrically poled PVDF-TrFE (approximately -38 picocoulombs per newton). This study provides a new fundamental and low energy input mechanism of poling fluoropolymers, which enables new levels of performance in electromechanical technologies.