Development of Flexible Piezoelectric Poly(dimethylsiloxane)–BaTiO3Nanocomposites for Electrical Energy Harvesting

Flexible poly(dimethylsiloxane)–BaTiO 3 (PDMS-BaTiO 3 ) nanocomposites of different compositions are prepared via room-temperature mixing for possible sensor and electrical energy-generation applications. The effect of BaTiO 3 particles (multipods) on electrical properties is extensively studied, and it is found that permittivity of composites is increased significantly whereas the volume resistivity is decreased with the increase in BaTiO 3 concentration. The mechanical properties of PDMS-BaTiO 3 composites are also composition-dependent where both tensile strength and percent elongation at break decreases with increase in BaTiO 3 particle concentration because of the nonreinforcing nature of BaTiO 3 particles, as is apparent from Kraus plots. These composites have excellent piezoelectric behavior, where the dielectric properties of these composites changed substantially with the change in the applied stress. The temperature-dependent dielectric properties reveal that dielectric properties increased with a rise in temperature up to a certain limit and decreased thereafter. Filler shape, dispersion, and distribution in the matrix polymer were observed through field emission scanning electron microscopy.