Maximizing piezoelectricity by self-assembled highly porous perovskite-polymer composite films to enable the internet of things

There is an urgent demand in the industry for the development of compact, flexible, and sustainable power sources for self-powered internet of things (IoT) micro/nano devices. One of the most promising routes is to harness environmental energy through piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs). A novel, self-assembled, highly porous perovskite/polymer (polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) in this case) composite film was developed for fabricating high-performance piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs). The macroscopic porous structure can significantly enlarge the bulk strain of the piezoelectric composite film, which leads to a approximate to 5-fold enhancement in the strain-induced piezo potential. In addition, the novel hybrid halide perovskites (HHP)-formamidinium lead bromine iodine (FAPbBr(2)I) material can improve the conductivity of the final composite film due to its enhanced permittivity, providing a approximate to 15-fold amplification of the output current. Using these highly-efficient perovskite/polymer PNGs (P-PNGs), a peak output power density of 10 mu W cm(-2)(across a resistance of 7 M omega) was obtained to run a self-powered integrated wireless electronic node (SIWEN). The P-PNG application was then extended to real-life scenarios including wireless data communication between the nanogenerators and personal electronics, efficient energy harvesting from automobile vibrations and also from biomechanical motion. This P-PNG based on a low-temperature full-solution synthesis approach, may initiate a paradigm shift by opening the realms of flexible PNGs as sustainable power sources.