Boosting the Durability of Triboelectric Nanogenerators: A Critical Review and Prospect

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted great interests in the development of sustainable energies and intelligent society. However, a big challenge for TENGs in practical applications is the unavoidable external mechanical abrasion and/or contaminant adsorption on the triboelectric materials, which leads to the significant decrease of the durability of TENGs and is urgently needed to be addressed. There are already a series of interesting progresses on the topic of the TENGs' durability. In this study, reviewing the durability of TENGs via both the advanced materials/structure designing and the novel surface/interface engineering is focused upon, which includes choosing basic TENG materials, improving composites performance, optimizing structures, and designing triboelectric surfaces and interfaces. To get a better understanding of the durability of TENGs in published studies, the quantifiable levels of service life are also summarized including operation cycles, time, friction coefficient, and wear loss of triboelectric materials, where the boosting mechanisms are also discussed and summarized. Finally, the challenges as well as key strategies toward high durable TENGs are presented.

Tailoring the Electron Trapping Effect of a Biocompatible Triboelectric Hydrogel by Graphene Oxide Incorporation towards Self-Powered Medical Electronics

“…In the vertical contact–separation mode of TENGs, mechanical abrasion during the cycles can damage the triboelectric layer and reduce the generated outputs . Considering this, durability tests were performed for the triboelectric pair pHEMA/GO 1% versus PTFE for 3.33 h. Our findings show that even after 12 000 cycles, the output voltage remains almost similar, with only a slight decrease of 15.5%.…”

Boosting the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators via surface engineering and structure designing

“…Accordingly, some methods have been proposed to improve the anti-wear properties of TENGs, such as coating, 198 interface liquid lubrication 199 and other methods. 200–202 Balancing the output performance and wear resistance of TENGs is a crucial issue, which is also an important factor affecting their future commercialization prospects.…”

Polyoxometalate-Modified g-C3N4 Composites with High Work Function for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

“…With the advent of the era of 5G technology, the rapid development of emerging wearable flexible electronics and sensors has increased the demand for renewable, sustainable, and portable power supplies. − To power these numerous electronic devices, people are committed to developing portable power technologies, such as solar cells, , pyroelectric nanogenerators, , piezoelectric nanogenerators, , and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). , Among them, TENG is the one that has garnered the most interest among them all because of its ability to capture and transform mechanical vibration, sound waves, water movement, vehicle movement, and human activity in the surrounding environment into electric energy. , To meet the application requirements, various strategies have been proposed to improve the output performance of TENG, such as material design and structural optimization. − From the perspective of material design, it is very important to select the appropriate friction material. , At present, the most widely used friction material organic polymer has a relatively single form, especially in the functionalization and modification of certain difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new friction materials that are easy to modify and functionalize to improve the performance of TENG.…”