Achievement

IGERT Fellow Mary Rebovich created piezoelectric fibers that will generate an electrical potential when mechanically stressed. These fibers can be incorporated into yarns, fabrics, ropes or other common textile articles. Circuitry incorporated in the textile will extract the generated electrical energy. Poly(vinylidene fluoride), a polymer that can form a piezoelectric crystal structure and has a history of use in conventional textiles, was utilized for these piezoelectric fibers. Molecular orientation within the fibers must be controlled to achieve the piezoelectric structure. Specifically, polymer chains must be aligned along their axes with positive hydrogen atoms oriented towards one surface and negative fluorine atoms oriented towards the opposite surface. This type of orientation has been successfully achieved in films and used in actuator and sensor applications. Energy-scavenging fibers are especially appealing because of their potential for use in textiles.