Enhancement of piezoelectric β‐polymorph formation and properties of graphene oxide and PZT‐incorporated in PVDF‐HFP matrix for energy harvesting applications

This paper presents and compares films made using the solution casting method with a mixture of poly (vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP), graphene oxide (GO), and lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The Hummers' method synthesized GO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and tensile testing were realized. The developed composite films were found to have a coherent distribution of PZT and GO in PVDF‐HFP. After that, a gradual improvement, such as an increase in the quantity of β phase, produces high piezoelectric performance. Also, the PVDF‐HFP polymer's thermal stability improved. When 0.1 wt% of PZT/GO was added, the melting temperature increased from 140 to 143°C, and the crystallization temperature from 109 to 113°C. PVDF‐HFP elastic modulus and tensile strength were also considerably reduced as PZT/GO increased. As a result, this has enabled us to develop composite films with important properties that can be used as piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting.