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Article

Novel Flexible PVDF-TrFE and PVDF-TrFE/ZnO Pressure Sensor: Fabrication, Characterization and Investigation

1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
2
School of System Design and Intelligent Manufacturing, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Road 1088, Shenzhen 518055, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Micromachines 2021, 12(6), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060602
Submission received: 16 April 2021 / Revised: 16 May 2021 / Accepted: 18 May 2021 / Published: 23 May 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Devices for Healthcare)

Abstract

With the development of human healthcare devices, smart sensors, e-skins, and pressure sensors with outstanding sensitivity, flexibility, durability and biocompatibility have attracted more and more attention. In this paper, to develop a novel flexible pressure sensor with high sensitivity, different poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE)-based composite membranes were fabricated, characterized and tested. To improve the β-phase crystallinity and piezoelectricity of the membranes, and for the purpose of comparison, nano ZnO particles with different concentrations (99:1, 9:1 in a weight ratio of PVDF-TrFE to ZnO) were, respectively added into PVDF-TrFE polymer acting as a nucleating agent and dielectric material. To facilitate the formation of β-phase crystal, the membranes were fabricated by electrospinning method. After the electrospinning, an annealing process was conducted to the fabricated membranes to increase the size and content of β-phase crystal. Then, the fabricated PVDF-TrFE membranes, acting as the core sensing layer, were, respectively built into multiple prototype sensors in a sandwich structure. The sensitivity of the prototype sensors was tested by an auto-clicker. The stimulation of the auto-clicker on the prototype sensors generated electrical signals, and the electrical signals were collected by a self-built testing platform powered by LabVIEW. As a result, combining the addition of ZnO nanofillers and the annealing process, a highly sensitive pressure sensor was fabricated. The optimal peak-to-peak voltage response generated from the prototype sensor was 1.788 V which shows a 75% increase compared to that of the pristine PVDF-TrFE sensor. Furthermore, a human pulse waveform was captured by a prototype sensor which exhibits tremendous prospects for application in healthcare devices.
Keywords: PVDF-TrFE; PVDF-TrFE/ZnO; β phase crystal; human pulsation sensor PVDF-TrFE; PVDF-TrFE/ZnO; β phase crystal; human pulsation sensor

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MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, M.; Liu, Y.; Zhou, L. Novel Flexible PVDF-TrFE and PVDF-TrFE/ZnO Pressure Sensor: Fabrication, Characterization and Investigation. Micromachines 2021, 12, 602. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060602

AMA Style

Liu M, Liu Y, Zhou L. Novel Flexible PVDF-TrFE and PVDF-TrFE/ZnO Pressure Sensor: Fabrication, Characterization and Investigation. Micromachines. 2021; 12(6):602. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060602

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Mingran, Yang Liu, and Limin Zhou. 2021. "Novel Flexible PVDF-TrFE and PVDF-TrFE/ZnO Pressure Sensor: Fabrication, Characterization and Investigation" Micromachines 12, no. 6: 602. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060602

APA Style

Liu, M., Liu, Y., & Zhou, L. (2021). Novel Flexible PVDF-TrFE and PVDF-TrFE/ZnO Pressure Sensor: Fabrication, Characterization and Investigation. Micromachines, 12(6), 602. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060602

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