Investigation of the hydrophobic properties of piezoelectric nanocomposites and applications in biomedical micro-hydraulic devices

The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the hydrophobic properties of piezoelectric composites that could be used in biomedical micro-hydraulic devices.Hydrophobicity plays an important role, and gives less obstruction to the water, which is the major reason behind the lower efficiency of electrical devices, particularly for piezoelectric polymers.Hydrophobicity is an important property for the improvement in effectiveness and durability of microhydraulic devices made from PZT composite materials.To develop the PZT composite material, we began with the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanopowder synthesis.The PZT was additionally blended with three different binding polymers polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polystyrene (PS) in benzyl alcohol to prepare a screen-printing paste.Then, by applying the screen-printing method, three different PZT coatings were prepared on aluminum and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).The hydrophobicity of the prepared PZT composite was made using a contact-angle measurement between the drop of water and three PZT composite materials PZT + PVB, PZT + PMMA, and PZT + PS.Also, the contact-angle measurement made with the drop of glycerin, spirit, and olive oil on three different PZT composites.Finally, the model of the micro-channel was created using COMSOL Multiphysics with the PZT + PMMA and simulated by applying the electrical excitation signal on the pattern of electrodes.The different wave-shaped deformations were achieved from the simulation of the microchannel.The proposed application could be used for bioparticle transportation.