Effect of nanoparticles on piezoelectric response in polymer composites by quantitative evaluation

The effect of the intrinsic properties of silicone rubber and barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles on the piezoelectric properties of BaTiO3/silicon rubber composites was studied by the finite element analysis. The data of the simulation show that the stress and voltage of the composite were greatly increased when the concentration of the BaTiO3 nanoparticle increased from 5 to 30 vol. %. As Young’s modulus of silicone rubber increased from 5 to 20 MPa, the compressive stress of the composites raised linearly. With the Poisson’s ratio rising from 0.41 to 0.49, the compressive stress increased by 0.18 MPa in the process. When the dielectric constant of the BaTiO3/silicon rubber composite was less than 30, the potential difference of the piezoelectric film gradually raised with the dielectric constant increasing. When the dielectric constant of the composite was higher than 30, the output voltage of the composite gradually decreased. Therefore, the lower Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of the silicone rubber composite is beneficial to improve the piezoelectric properties of the composite. This article will provide a reference for designing the preparation of spherical BaTiO3 composite materials.