Hybrid piezoelectric nanogenerator based on PVDF film and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods for energy harvesting applications

Energy harvesting from mechanical strain using piezoelectric materials has attracted considerable attention from researchers for their its utilisation in cutting edge smart devices. Here in, piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and vertically aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods is fabricated for mechanical energy harvesting. ZnO nanorods array over zinc foil was realised via facile wet chemical method at ambient condition. ZnO-PVDF hybrid structure was prepared by stacking PVDF on ZnO nanorods. Synergistic piezoelectric effect of PVDF and ZnO nanorods delivered high output characteristics under applied pressure. As fabricated device showed an open-circuit voltage of ~ 21.5 volts and instantaneous power ~135.45 µW at an applied pressure of 4.5 MPa. Generated output power was more than sufficient to glow commercial green LEDs.