Mechanically Robust Magnetic FeO Nanoparticle/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Composite Nanofiber and Its Application in a Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Mechanically robust composite nanofibers (NFs) with enhanced magnetic properties were made from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and FeO nanoparticles (NPs) by an electrospinning method. At up to 11.3 wt %, FeO NPs were embedded randomly in the PVDF NFs, but when the content exceeded 17 wt %, the NPs aggregated on the NF surfaces. Magnetization of the composite NFs consistently increased with the increasing FeO NP content. The mechanical strength of the FeO NP/PVDF composite NF was enhanced by a dispersion strengthening mechanism. A triboelectric nanogenerator was made from the composite, which showed enhanced output performance with the FeO NP content less than 11.3 wt %, but the performance degraded at higher content. These results were attributed to the electret doping effect and surface aggregation of the FeO NPs on the NFs, respectively.