Flexible Two-ply Piezoelectric Yarn Energy Harvester

Abstract

We developed a flexible two-ply piezoelectric yarn-type generator using an electrospun polyvinylidenefluoride-co- trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) mat and a commercially available silver-coated nylon fiber. By rolling the silver-coated nylon fiber into the electrospun PVDF-TrFE mat as the inner electrode, the two-dimensional piezoelectric PVDF-TrFE mat was easily transformed into a one-dimensional fiber. Then silver-coated nylon fiber rolled in PVDF-TrFE was plied with another similar fiber to make a flexible two-ply piezoelectric yarn. The overall fabrication processes of the flexible two-ply piezoelectric yarn are simple and have a high application potential. The flexible two-ply piezoelectric yarn can generate up to 0.7 V in compression and 0.55 V in tension. The yarn retained the piezoelectric performance in various shapes, such as a sewn structure. In addition, the piezoelectric performance was sensitive to velocity and pressure. The flexible two-ply piezoelectric yarn has potential applications as a human motion sensor, as a building block of energy- harvesting textiles, and in self-powered biomedical applications.