J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 240: 299-312.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.03.040

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Shear stress-induced augmentation of electroactive phases of PVDF for high-power nanogenerator using supersonically sprayed Sr2SnO4 nanorods

Woojin Lima, Bhavana Joshia, Edmund Samuelb,1, JungWoo Huha, Ali Aldalbahic, Govindasami Periyasamic, Hae-Seok Leeb,*, Bin Dingd,*, Sam S. Yoona,*   

  1. aSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea;
    bEnergy Environment Policy and Technology, Graduate School of Energy and Environment (KU-KIST Green School), Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea;
    cDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
    dInnovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
  • Received:2024-09-19 Revised:2025-02-23 Accepted:2025-03-19 Published:2026-01-01 Online:2026-01-06
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: lhseok@korea.ac.kr (H.-S. Lee), binding@dhu.edu.cn (B. Ding), skyoon@korea.ac.kr (S.S. Yoon).
  • About author:1These authors contribute equally to this work.

Abstract: Supersonic spraying is a scalable, non-vacuum, rapid coating technique that uses a supersonic gas stream from a de Laval nozzle to deposit precursors under atmospheric conditions. In this study, the supersonic spraying of Sr2SnO4 nanorods (SSO-NRs) was found to increase the content of electroactive β- and γ-phases in poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) by more than twofold. Specifically, shear stress between the PVDF and SSO-NRs, induced by supersonic blowing, amplified the β- and γ-phases, which enhanced the energy-harvesting performance of a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG). The swirling of the high-aspect-ratio SSO-NRs intensified the turbulence, thereby magnifying the influence of the shear stress. The supersonically driven shear stress caused multidirectional stretching, elongation, and twisting of PVDF and transformed a large amount of the α-phase into electroactive β- and γ-phases, as evidenced by X-ray diffractometry and infrared spectroscopy. The composite film with a minimal filler content of 2.5 wt.% exhibited a piezopotential of 41 V without additional poling. The optimal SSO/PVDF-based PENG delivered a high power density of 90 µW cm-2 when subjected to a tapping force. Furthermore, the practical applicability of the PENG was demonstrated using air pressure, vibration, and human body movement. The fabricated PENG device was integrated with a supercapacitor electrode to exhibit a wide application range in wearable and portable electronics.

Key words: Strontium stannate, Nanorod, Piezoelectric nanogenerator