Multifaceted Enhancement of Piezoelectricity and Optical Fluorescence in Electrospun PVDF- ceria Nanocomposite

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Piezoelectric nanocomposites have become increasingly popular in the field of energy harvesting systems. An investigation into PVDF electrospun nanocomposite membrane doped with varying weight percentages of Ce ³⁺ is presented. A blue shift in the bandgap of the ceria NPs was found by optical characterisation using absorbance analysis, which also enhanced UV absorption in the PVDF polymer. At some additive doses, luminosity analysis demonstrated an incremental fluorescence impact. But above a certain point, additional increases seemed to have quenching effects, which decreased fluorescence. FTIR examination of the composite nanofiber membrane showed that the inclusion of NPs increased the amount of β sheets; this was especially optimized at a 5% concentration of ceria NPs in the PVDF solution. This novel ultrasensitive PVDF with ceria 5wt % nanogenerator produced a maximum of 9 V at an applied load of 3 N at a frequency of 1.5 Hz whereas pure PVDF generated only 3 V which clearly proves the enhanced pizoactivity of PVDF Ceria based nanomembrane. The formed oxygen vacancies according to tri-valent cerium ions, which have been showed through optical characteristics, supports the nucleation of PVDF chains around ceria NPs. The resultant PVDF/ceria nanomembrane demonstrated a remarkable maximum power density of 89 mW/m², demonstrating its load-bearing capability. With its dual functionality as an optical sensor and an energy harvesting unit, this adaptable nanocomposite shows potential for use in multifunctional devices.