Methylammonium Lead Iodide Incorporated Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Nanofibers for Flexible Piezoelectric-Pyroelectric Nanogenerator.

This work introduces a piezoelectric-pyroelectric nanogenerator (P-PNG) based on methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) (MAPI) incorporated electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers that are able to harvest mechanical and thermal energies. During the application of a periodic compressive contact force at a frequency of 4 Hz, an output voltage of ~220 mV is generated. The P-PNG has a piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of ~19.7 pC/N coupled with a high durability (60,000 cycles) and quick response time (∼1 ms). The maximum generated output power density (∼0.8 mW/m2) is sufficient to charge up a variety of capacitors, with the potential to replace an external power supply to drive portable devices. In addition, upon exposure to cyclic heating and cooling within a temperature range of 38 K, a pyroelectric output current of 18.2 pA and voltage of 41.78 mV were achieved. The fast response time of 1.14 s, reset time of 1.25 s and pyroelectric coefficient ~ 44 pC/m2 K demonstrates a self-powered temperature sensing capability of the P-PNG. These characteristics make the P-PNG suitable for flexible piezoelectric-pyroelectric energy harvesting for self-powered electronic devices.