Bio-reinforced PDMS/BaTiO3 composites with seashell powder: Enhanced piezoelectric performance and hyperelastic behavior

This study presents a systematic investigation of the mechanical behavior and hyperelastic modeling of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/BaTiO 3 composites enhanced with natural seashell powder for piezoelectric applications. Composite films were fabricated with fixed BaTiO 3 content (15 wt.%) and varying seashell powder concentrations (0–20 wt.%). Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the seashell powder consists predominantly of aragonite, the orthorhombic polymorph of calcium carbonate. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses confirmed strong interfacial interactions between matrix and fillers with bimodal particle size distribution. Tensile testing demonstrated that adding 15 wt.% seashells enhanced the composite stiffness by nearly two times, raising Young’s modulus from 1.64 MPa to 2.88 MPa. Hyperelastic constitutive modeling using Mooney-Rivlin and Yeoh models provided excellent agreement with experimental stress-strain data (R 2 values> 0.99). The optimized composition with 15 wt.% seashell content demonstrated superior piezoelectric performance with a 111 % improvement in piezoelectric coefficient, a 2.5-fold increase in voltage output, and an energy conversion efficiency of 9.17 % (representing a 4-fold enhancement) compared to the reference sample. Real-world application tests demonstrated voltage generation of 5–6 V under footstep force and 3–4 V from mouse clicks, while durability testing confirmed excellent cycling stability over 18,000 cycles with no observable performance degradation. • Seashell powder boosts PDMS/BaTiO 3 piezoelectric performance. • 15 wt% seashell reinforcement achieves 4.6 W/cm 2 power density with 4-fold enhancement in energy conversion efficiency. • Hyperelastic models achieve for accurate mechanical prediction. • Stable performance is maintained over 18,000 loading cycles with no visible degradation.