Sensors, Vol. 24, Pages 2694: Polymer Nanocomposite Sensors with Improved Piezoelectric Properties through Additive Manufacturing

Sensors, Vol. 24, Pages 2694: Polymer Nanocomposite Sensors with Improved Piezoelectric Properties through Additive Manufacturing Sensors doi: 10.3390/s24092694 Authors: Rishikesh Srinivasaraghavan Govindarajan Zefu Ren Isabel Melendez Sandra K. S. Boetcher Foram Madiyar Daewon Kim Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has recently seen increased utilization due to its versatility in using functional materials, offering a new pathway for next-generation conformal electronics in the smart sensor field. However, the limited availability of polymer-based ultraviolet (UV)-curable materials with enhanced piezoelectric properties necessitates the development of a tailorable process suitable for 3D printing. This paper investigates the structural, thermal, rheological, mechanical, and piezoelectric properties of a newly developed sensor resin material. The polymer resin is based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a matrix, mixed with constituents enabling UV curability, and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are added to form a nanocomposite resin. The results demonstrate the successful micro-scale printability of the developed polymer and nanocomposite resins using a liquid crystal display (LCD)-based 3D printer. Additionally, incorporating BNNTs into the polymer matrix enhanced the piezoelectric properties, with an increase in the voltage response by up to 50.13%. This work provides new insights for the development of 3D printable flexible sensor devices and ener...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research