Smart functional polymer-ceramiccomposites for sustainable energy harvesting and storage

Abstract

Polymer-based composites containing insulating inorganic fillers with different functionalities are attracting a great deal of interest for multiple applications, including embedded planar capacitors, flexible piezoelectric harvesters and portable devices for self-powered electronics. They combine typical properties of polymers, such as easy processing at low temperature, flexibility and high breakdown strength (BDS) with the dielectric or piezoelectric properties of some inorganic compounds and, in particular, of ferroelectric perovskites such as BaTiO3, 0.94 Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 - 0.06 BaTiO3 and Ba1-yCayZrxTi1-xO3. A rational selection of components, good interface engineering and proper processing optimization allows a thorough comprehension of the complex process-structure-morphology-properties relationships of the multicomponent systems. Here, we present our most significant results on PVDF-ceramic composites for energy harvesting and storage. A careful multi-level characterization allows the optimization of the functional properties (dielectric behaviour, piezoelectricity, power density), performance and durability (mechanical strength, flexibility, fatigue resistance) as specifically required for the envisaged final devices.