Researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with scientists from the National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, have developed a safety warning system based on piezoelectric polymer nanocomposites. The development was based on the discovery that metal oxide nanomaterials with suitable crystal structure and surface properties when used as fillers in polymer composites significantly enhance the piezoelectric response.
Energy generation and harvesting from readily available sources is important in today's world. Mechanical energy is an abundant and easily accessible source that can be converted into electrical energy through various technologies. These technologies include contact electrification/triboelectric effect and piezoelectric effect. Flexible, portable, durable and wearable sensors and energy harvesting devices are important nowadays. Polymers and nanoparticles are playing a major role in current flexible electronic systems. A new piezoelectric polymer nanocomposite material developed may be useful for pressure sensing and energy harvesting applications.