Dry-Coated Graphite onto Sandpaper for Triboelectric Nanogenerator as an Active Power Source for Portable Electronics

Abstract

Developing an eco-friendly, flexible and recyclable micro-structured dry electrode for sustainable life is essential. In this work, we have developed irregular, micro-structured sandpaper coated with graphite powder as an electrode for developing a simple, low-cost, contact-separation mode graphite-coated sandpaper-based triboelectric nanogenerator (GS-TENG) as a self-powered device and biomechanical sensor. The as-fabricated GS-TENG is a dielectric-conductor model. It is made up of a bottom layer with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a triboelectric layer, which is attached onto a graphite-coated sandpaper-based electrode and a top layer with aluminum as another triboelectric layer as well as an electrode. The forward and reverse open-circuit voltages reach upto ~33.8 V and ~36.62 V respectively, and the forward and reverse short-circuit currents are ~2.16 µA and ~2.17µA, respectively. The output generated by GS-TENG can power 120 blue light-emitting diodes connected in series, liquid crystal display and can charge commercial capacitors along with the rectifier circuit. The capacitor of 22 µF is charged upto 5 V and is sufficient to drive digital watch as wearable electronics. Moreover, the device can track signals generated by human motion, hence it scavenges biomechanical energy. Thus, GS-TENG facilitates large-scale fabrication and has potential for future applications in wearable and portable devices.

Material selection and performance optimization strategies for a wearable friction nanogenerator (W-TENG)

“…Compared with polymer friction materials, metal as a friction material rarely appears in the preparation of W-TENGs. [114][115][116][117] The main metals used are copper (Cu), aluminum (Al) and other metals. Peng et al, 118 used the Cu lm aer surface uoridation, 119 and electrochemical deposition, 120 as the positive friction layer and electrode, and the PDMS sponge aer uoride treatment as the negative friction layer.…”

Advances in Inorganic Nanomaterials for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

“…The output power of the FG-TENG using the graphite electrodes was 35% higher than that using the copper electrode ( Figure 12 ). A thin graphite layer could also be coated on other substrates, such as sandpaper, 160 pristine paper, 161 and paper cards, 162 with coating methods of brushing, rod coating, and drawing, respectively.…”

Solid-Liquid Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Vortex-Induced Resonance

“…Recent decades have witnessed rapid development in integrated circuits, and MEMS technology has made electronic devices much smaller in size and considerably more energy-efficient. However, these electronic devices still rely on batteries for power supply, and the safe disposal of chemical waste poses a particular challenge [ 1 , 2 ]. Therefore, harvesting energy from the surrounding circumstance is a more reasonable solution.…”