TITLE: ZINC OXIDE QUANTUM DOTS EMBEDDED INTO POLYMER MATRIX AS

PYROELECTRIC ENERGY HARVESTING NANOGENERATORS

ABSTRACT

An ambient energy harvester with remarkable properties of being a lightweight and sustainable
device that promises efficient use of energy is known as a nanogenerator. Nanogenerators have
attracted much attention in recent years due to their high conversion efficiency of mechanical
energy/thermal energy into electrical energy, which is abundant in the environment and in human
daily life. The conversion of thermal energy from a time-dependent temperature fluctuation into
electricity is the basic working principle of a pyroelectric nanogenerator (PNG). Improving the
electrical output of nanogenerators utilizing composite polymer films has attracted potential
interest. The composite polymer films can provide a high relative permittivity and enhanced
surface charge density, resulting in an enhanced electrical output. Herein, multifunctional zinc
oxide (ZnO) quantum dots (QDs) owing to its exceptional electronic and optical properties,
chemical stability and environmental friendliness were synthesized by a sol-gel process and
embedded into a well-known ferroelectric polymer P(VDF-TrFE) to fabricate a pyroelectric
composite film. The incorporation of 0.15 wt% ZnO QDs into copolymer exhibits the greatest
value for dielectric constant (ε’ = 13.9), remnant polarization (Pr = 10.02 µC/cm2) and
pyroelectric coefficient (49 μC/m2K) due to greater distribution of micelle-like crystallite and
growth of elongated rod-like crystallite of the copolymer. The work demonstrates that the
interaction between the surface charge of ZnO QDs and the dipole of P(VDF-TrFE) is beneficial
to increasing the β phase content and embark the ferroelectric and pyroelectric output.
Simultaneously from pyroelectric activity, energy harvesting Figure of merit (FOM), FE at 1 kHz
is 19.5 Jm-3K2 for 0.15 wt% of nanocomposite P(VDF-TrFE) / ZnO QDs. These optimum
pyroelectric films could be used as a precursor in developing future functional devices purposely
for thermal energy harvesting.