Centrifugal Spinning of Conductive Filler-Enhanced PVDF Nanofibers for Energy Harvesting and Sensing Applications

Centrifugal spinning is a very rapid and scalable method for generating PVDF nanofibers, especially if the nanofibers are doped with conductive fillers (like MWCNT, GO and PANI), that enhance the piezoelectric and electrical properties of PVDF, and that allow these composites to use in energy harvesting and sensing applications. In this study, a solvent combination of DMF and acetone was used to prepare a homogeneous PVDF solution which was spun at 7000–7500 RPM; the increased β-phase content was desired to maximize piezoelectric activity in the polymer. Characterization techniques including SEM, FTIR and XRD showed that there was a uniform fiber formation and strong β-phase content in the fibers, which indicated good dispersion of the fillers. The pristine PVDF electrical conductivity was also tested, which was at 3.6 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm, compared to the 1.667 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm with fillers. Acoustic tests on the composites indicated that the PVDF/MWCNT composite produced the highest voltage output, confirming better sensing performance in this composite. Overall, results indicate that centrifugal spinning fabrication of flexible, self-powered sensing materials is a valid and promising option.