Title: Electromechanical response of polycarbonate-CNT/PZT laminates subjected to cyclic bending

Authors: Fumio Narita; So Okura; Yasuhide Shindo; Tomo Takeda

Addresses: Department of Materials Processing, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan ' Department of Materials Processing, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan ' Department of Materials Processing, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan ' Department of Materials Processing, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan

Abstract: This paper deals with the electromechanical behaviour of polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT)/piezoelectric laminates under cyclic bending. The laminate was fabricated using thin polycarbonate-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) layers. The three-point bending tests were performed on the polycarbonate-MWNT/PZT laminates, and the output voltage due to cyclic mechanical loads was measured. The output power was then calculated, and the dependence of the output power on the nanotube content, material dimensions and loading conditions (e.g., frequency) was discussed in detail. It was found that there is an optimum value of the nanotube content for which the output power is maximised.

Keywords: piezoelectricity; materials testing; polymer-CNT/PZT laminates; lead zirconate titanate; PZT; cyclic bending; energy harvesting; electromechanical response; carbon nanotubes; polycarbonate; multi-walled CNTs; MWCNTs; nanotechnology; nanotube content; material dimensions; loading conditions; output voltage; cyclic mechanical loads.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2016.075495

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2016 Vol.52 No.3/4, pp.276 - 285

Received: 03 Dec 2014
Accepted: 16 Jun 2015
Published online: 27 Mar 2016 *

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