Flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator made of poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) thin film

In this paper, a flexible nanogenerator based on direct piezoelectric effect using a spin-coated poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) thin film as functional layer has been fabricated on polyimide substrate. The as-prepared nanogenerator exhibits the open-circuit voltage up to 7V and short-circuit current of 58nA with current density of 0.56μA/cm2. The impact of the variation of strain rate on the electrical outputs of the nanogenerator has been characterized experimentally and analyzed theoretically. An analytical model that explains well the experimental results has been established. [Display omitted] •A flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator based on polymer thin film was fabricated.•The nanogenerator exhibited reasonable electrical outputs and good stability.•The impact of strain rate on the electrical outputs was characterized and analyzed.•An analytical model that explained well the experimental results was established.