Numerical analysis of piezoelectric and mechanical response of buckled poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibers for the design of highly stretchable electronics

Creating buckling-induced wavy or coiled architecture is a successful route to realize high performance of stretchable piezoelectric devices. However, a systematic analysis of the relationship between piezoelectric potential output, mechanical stress and buckling parameters is still lacking. Here, we quantitatively analyze the piezoelectric and mechanical performance of buckled poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers with respect to the buckling architecture and different force loading using finite element simulation. Our results show that decrease in the buckling angle, arc radius and cross section diameter can increase the piezoelectric potential output of a buckled PVDF nanofiber, and increase in buckling cycles is an efficient way to reduce the mechanical stress on the nanofiber. Besides, a relative stable piezoelectric effectiveness can be obtained when the buckling angle is between 60° and 90°. This research helps to identify an optimized design principle for realizing high stretchability and piezoelectric performance of buckled nanofibers, and provides theoretical support for future applications of buckled PVDF in flexible electronic devices.