Fabrication and characterization of a PVDF/PLA membrane made by electrospinning as a flexible temperature sensor

Abstract

In this work, a temperature characterization of a PVDF/PLA membrane made by electrospinning technique is presented. Electrospinning is a versatile method to generate fibers made of a variety of materials such as ceramics or polymers that can reach the nanometric range. Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) is a piezoelectric smart polymer which is often combined with other materials in order to improve or modify its properties. This work was focused in the fabrication and characterization of electrospun PVDF/PLA (50/50 wt%) membranes as a polymeric temperature sensor. Dielectric behavior of the membrane by applying an external stimuli such as temperature was observed. Results of this behavior showed a linear response relating temperature and the dielectric constant of the membrane. The membrane was examinated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. As a result, low porous flexible membranes were obtained with fiber diameters in a range from 50 nm to 200 nm. In conclusion, polymeric piezoelectric membranes are a promising tool in fields such as biomedical engineering, robotics and electronics as scaffolds, sensors or actuators due to their ferroelectric nature.