Fabrication and Testing of Low-Cost PVDF Thin Film Sensor for Robotics Applications

Abstract:

Piezoelectric materials possess a special property to produce electricity from mechanical motion and are therefore it is suitable for green energy solutions. In our project, we fabricated a flexible piezoelectric device through a simple, non-vacuum process. We prepared the device by a solution casting process with a thin poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film. Under mechanical stress, the device shows a clear electrical response, confirming its functionality. This indicates that piezoelectric materials can be fabricated to utilize as a low-cost, eco-friendly, and efficient means to harvest energy. This device can also be used as a sensor in robots and robot-related applications. This device can sense movement, which can be used in autonomous robots to sense movement, feed back, or even to harvest energy to power robotic sensors. In the future, we can improve the device performance by modifying the film thickness, using more efficient electrode materials, and making it stable to operate in different conditions.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 928)
• Pages: 77-83
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-0jKpt8
• Online since: November 2025
• Authors: Muhammad Huzaifa Iqbal, Hafiz Syed Rohan Ali, Shehroze Tahir Khan*, Abdul Qadir, Murtuza Mehdi
• Keywords: Electrode, Piezoelectric, PVDF, Sensors, Thin Films

References

[1] S. Das Mahapatra et al., "Piezoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting and Sensing Applications: Roadmap for Future Smart Materials," Sep. 01, 2021, John Wiley and Sons Inc.

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202100864

[2] S. Mohammadpourfazeli, S. Arash, A. Ansari, S. Yang, K. Mallick, and R. Bagherzadeh, "Future prospects and recent developments of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer; fabrication methods, structure, and electro-mechanical properties," Jan. 09, 2023, Royal Society of Chemistry.

DOI: 10.1039/d2ra06774a

[3] L. Sarkar, S. G. Singh, and S. R. K. Vanjari, "Preparation and optimization of PVDF thin films for miniaturized sensor and actuator applications," Smart Mater Struct, vol. 30, no. 7, Jul. 2021.

DOI: 10.1088/1361-665X/abff15

[4] S. Dowarah, P. Kalita, D. Singh, and S. Kumar, "Formation and saturation of β-phase of PVDF in DMF solvent: a comprehensive study," Mar. 19, 2024. doi: 10.21203/rs.3. rs-4022745/v1.

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4022745/v1

[5] V. O. C. Concha et al., "Properties, characterization and biomedical applications of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF): a review," Aug. 01, 2024, Springer.

DOI: 10.1007/s10853-024-10046-3

[6] C.-T. Pan et al., "Characterization of Piezoelectric Properties of Ag-NPs Doped PVDF Nanocomposite Fibres Membrane Prepared by Near Field Electrospinning," Comb Chem High Throughput Screen, vol. 25, no. 4, p.720–729, Mar. 2021.

DOI: 10.2174/1386207324666210302100728

[7] H. S. Zakria et al., "Fabrication of high performance pvdf hollow fiber membrane using less toxic solvent at different additive loading and air gap," Membranes (Basel), vol. 11, no. 11, Nov. 2021.

DOI: 10.3390/membranes11110843

[8] N. A. Shepelin et al., "Interfacial piezoelectric polarization locking in printable Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene-fluoropolymer composites."

[9] S. Sukumaran, S. Chatbouri, D. Rouxel, E. Tisserand, F. Thiebaud, and T. Ben Zineb, "Recent advances in flexible PVDF based piezoelectric polymer devices for energy harvesting applications," J Intell Mater Syst Struct, vol. 32, no. 7, p.746–780, Apr. 2021.

DOI: 10.1177/1045389X20966058

[10] K. Tewatia, J. C. Bose, A. Sharma, and A. Kumar, "Improved Piezoelectric Properties in PVDF based Nanocomposites using different nanofillers for Energy Harvesting Applications." [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386330669.