PDA‐Ag/TiO₂ Nanoparticles‐Loaded Electrospun Nylon Composite Nanofibrous Film‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Wearable Biomechanical Energy Harvesting and Multifunctional Sensors

Abstract

Although the adoption of self‐powered energy harvesting technologies is rapidly increasing, the fabrication of flexible, easy‐to‐assemble, highly sensitive, and energy‐efficient devices continues to pose a significant challenge. Electrospun nanofibrous film‐based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) show great promise for mechanical energy harvesting and self‐powered sensor applications due to their flexibility, wearability, lightweight, and high electrical output. Herein, a polydopamine (PDA)‐treated silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs)‐decorated titanium dioxide (PDA‐Ag/TiO2 NPs) is innovatively incorporated into an electrospun Nylon 66 polymer to construct PDA‐Ag/TiO2 nylon composite nanofibrous film (NCNF)‐based TENGs (PAT@NCNF TENGs). The prepared nanofibrous films display high dielectric and conductive properties, improving the output electrical performance of the TENG. The electrical output performance of the PAT@NCNF TENG is systematically studied by varying the filler material embedded in the Nylon 66 polymer. The assembled PAT@NCNF TENG exhibits an electrical output of ≈370 V, ≈15 µA, and ≈5.4 W m−2 with an excellent pressure sensitivity of ≈7.88 V kPa−1. The proposed PAT@NCNF TENG is used to harvest various forms of biomechanical energy and to power electronic gadgets. Finally, PAT@NCNF TENG is effectively employed for multifunctional sensing systems to monitor biomechanical actions, detect the pressure and impact of objects, and facilitate Morse code transmission and human gait monitoring applications.