ENHANCED ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCY OF PVDF/WS2 HYBRID BASED PIEZOELECTRIC NANOGENERATOR

Abstract

Energy harvesting from ambient sources, particularly human motion is gaining considerable interest because of its potential to efficiently convert environmental mechanical energy into usable electrical power. Ongoing research is exploring piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) as a means to convert vibrational mechanical energy into functional electrical output. Here in, we report the fabrication of PENG based on PVDF/WS2 nanocomposite thin films. WS2 nanosheets are synthesized by exfoliation method. Further, WS2 with different weight percentages was incorporated in PVDF and the resulting thin films are analysed using XRD and FTIR. The output of nanogenerator is finally examined, determining the maximum output voltage (VOC) without an external load and the maximum current (ISC) when the output terminals were shorted. The results indicate that the incorporation of WS2 nanosheets led to enhanced output of piezoelectric nanogenerator, exhibiting an elevated voltage of 19.6 V and a peak current of 11.03 μA corresponding to 2 wt% filler concentration of WS2 and shows significant potential for renewable energy conversion and self-sustaining electronic devices.