Unprecedented dipole alignment in α-phase nylon-11 nanowires for high-performance energy-harvesting applications.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32577503.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aay5065 and PMC identifier 7286685.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Dipole alignment in ferroelectric polymers is routinely exploited for applications in charge-based applications. Here, we present the first experimental realization of ideally ordered dipole alignment in α-phase nylon-11 nanowires. This is an unprecedented discovery as dipole alignment is typically only ever achieved in ferroelectric polymers using an applied electric field, whereas here, we achieve dipole alignment in as-fabricated nanowires of 'non-ferroelectric' α-phase nylon-11, an overlooked polymorph of nylon proposed 30 years ago but never practically realized. We show that the strong hydrogen bonding in α-phase nylon-11 serves to enhance the molecular ordering, resulting in exceptional intensity and thermal stability of surface potential. This discovery has profound implications for the field of triboelectric energy harvesting, as the presence of an enhanced surface potential leads to higher mechanical energy harvesting performance. Our approach therefore paves the way towards achieving robust, high-performance mechanical energy harvesters based on this unusual ordered phase of nylon-11.