Journal ArticlePolymer Nanocomposite Sensors with Improved Piezoelectric Properties through Additive ManufacturingSrinivasaraghavan_Govindarajan, Rishikesh; Ren, Zefu; Melendez, Isabel; Boetcher, Sandra_K S; Madiyar, Foram; Kim, Daewon<p>Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has recently seen increased utilization due to its versatility in using functional materials, offering a new pathway for next-generation conformal electronics in the smart sensor field. However, the limited availability of polymer-based ultraviolet (UV)-curable materials with enhanced piezoelectric properties necessitates the development of a tailorable process suitable for 3D printing. This paper investigates the structural, thermal, rheological, mechanical, and piezoelectric properties of a newly developed sensor resin material. The polymer resin is based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a matrix, mixed with constituents enabling UV curability, and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are added to form a nanocomposite resin. The results demonstrate the successful micro-scale printability of the developed polymer and nanocomposite resins using a liquid crystal display (LCD)-based 3D printer. Additionally, incorporating BNNTs into the polymer matrix enhanced the piezoelectric properties, with an increase in the voltage response by up to 50.13%. This work provides new insights for the development of 3D printable flexible sensor devices and energy harvesting systems.</p>MDPI2024-05-0110567139Sensors24926941424-8220https://doi.org/10.3390/s240926942229155; 2050887National Science Foundation