SbSI Composites Based on Epoxy Resin and Cellulose for Energy Harvesting and Sensors—The Influence of SBSI Nanowires Conglomeration on Piezoelectric Properties

In this paper, ferroelectric antimony sulfoiodide (SbSI) nanowires have been used to produce composites for device fabrication, which can be used for energy harvesting and sensors. SbSI is a very useful material for nanogenerators and nanosensors in which the high values of the piezoelectric coefficient (d(33) = 650 pC/N) and the electromechanical coefficient (k(33) = 0.9) are essential. Alternatively, cellulose and epoxy resin were matrix materials in these composites, whereas SbSI nanowires fill the matrix. Piezoelectric response induced by vibrations has been presented. Then, a composite with an epoxy resin has been used as an element to construct a fiber-reinforced polymer piezoelectric sensor. For the first time, comparison of piezoelectric properties of cellulose/SbSI and epoxy resin/SbSI nanocomposite has been presented. The influence of concentration of SbSI nanowires for properties of epoxy resin/SbSI nanocomposite and in a fiber-reinforced polymer based on them has also been shown. Results of aligning the SbSI nanowires in the epoxy matrix during a curing process have been presented as well.