Enhanced Piezoelectricity in a Robust and Harmonious Multilayer Assembly of Electrospun Nanofiber Mats and Microbead-Based Electrodes

Abstract

Here, we present a simple yet highly efficient method to enhance the output performance of a piezoelectric device containing electrospun nanofiber mats. Multiple nanofiber mats were assembled together to harness larger piezoelectric sources in the as-spun fibers, thereby providing enhanced voltage and current outputs compared to those of a single-mat device. In addition to the multilayer assembly, microbead-based electrodes were integrated with the nanofiber mats to deliver a complexed compression and tension force excitation to the piezoelectric layers. A vacuum-packing process was performed to attain a tight and well-organized assembly of the device components even though the total thickness was several millimeters. The integrated piezoelectric device exhibited a maximum voltage and current of 10.4 V and 2.3 mu A, respectively. Furthermore, the robust integrity of the device components could provide high-precision sensitivity to perceive small pressures down to approximately 100 Pa while retaining a linear input-output relationship.