Porous TPU piezoelectric composites with core-shell structured PZT@CMCS particles for enhanced energy harvesting

Piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical energy into electrical signals, making them highly applicable in sensors, actuators, and energy harvesting systems. Although traditional inorganic piezoelectric ceramics (e.g., PZT and BTO) exhibit excellent piezoelectric properties, their brittleness significantly limits their use in flexible electronic devices. Herein, we fabricated PZT@carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) porous composite used as flexible piezoelectric materials. The core-shell structure of PZT@CMCS improves interfacial compatibility with the polymer matrix. Meanwhile, the porous skeleton structure of the TPU matrix facilitates stress transfer and amplification, achieving a large piezoelectric composited content and enhancing piezoelectric output. Thus, PZT@CMCS/TPU piezoelectric devices in this work achieve remarkable output voltage (53 V), current (13 μA), showing an 11-fold increase in piezoelectric output performance compared to conventional PZT composite films. Enabling the application of PZT composite materials in flexible piezoelectric devices.