Self-powered pressure sensor based on the triboelectric effect and its analysis using dynamic mechanical analysis

Abstract

Since 2012 there has been a rapid rise in the development of triboelectric nanogenerators due to their potential applications in the field of energy harvesting and self-powered sensors for vibrations, accelerations, touches, pressures and other mechanical motions. This study suggests a novel triboelectric nanogenerator based on the interaction between polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinylpyrrolidone submicron fibers. Polyvinylpyrrolidone is introduced as a new material for the TENG because of its tendency of losing electrons easily, while polyvinylidene fluoride is selected for its strongelectron attracting ability. Electrospinning is suggested as a fabrication method for the nanofibers due to its simplicity, versatility and low-cost. Furthermore, the paper explores the possibility to use this triboelectric nanogenerator as a self-powered pressure sensor. For this purpose, the nanogenerator is subjected to dynamic mechanic analysis which produces controlled pressure forces applied with a certain frequency. This is the first work to suggest the use of dynamic mechanical analyzer to study the relation between the applied mechanical stimulus and the electric responses of the triboelectric nanogenerator. Eventually the sensitivity of the nanogenerator to different pressures is analysed. A directly proportional relationship is found between the pressure applied and the resultant voltage and current amplitudes. The developed nanogenerator reacts to pressure in real time and as a sensor it exhibits a very high sensitivity and low experimental error for repeated measurements. The main contributions of this study are the development of a novel nanogenerator based on the triboelectric effect between polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinylpyrrolidone electrospun fibers and the investigation for its potential use as a selfpower pressure sensor. Eventually, the paper explores the advantages of dynamic mechanical analyzer for pressure analysis.

Detection and measurement of impacts in composite structures using a self-powered triboelectric sensor

“…Thus, it is necessary to explore new approaches to develop sensors that does not rely on external power supply and can be produced using a low-cost and easy fabrication procedure. Very recently, triboelectric sensors (TES) have attracted much research interest as a simple, sustainable, and cost-efficient technology can be used to develop self-powered sensors for pressures [16][17][18], vibrations [19,20], accelerations [21,22], velocities [23][24], magnetic fields [25,26], gases [27,28], object motions [29], and surface topographies [30]. However, there are only a few papers to analyse the potential of triboelectric sensors for impact energy detection.…”

Nano- And Microfiber-Based Fully Fabric Triboelectric Nanogenerator For Wearable Devices

“…Figure 3c shows a schematic of the electricity generation mechanism in the vertical contact mode. In the original state, there is no generation of frictional charges or potential differences between the two electrodes [52]. When an external force is applied to the top surface of the NMF-TENG, the triboelectric layer is deformed as described above, and then triboelectric charges are generated by the change in contact area between the nylon 6 nanofibers and PP microfibers.…”

Laminated Modulation of Tricritical Ferroelectrics Exhibiting Highly Enhanced Dielectric Permittivity and Temperature Stability

“…Temperature stability can be quantified by a so‐called coefficient of variation ( C.V ) value which is also known as relative standard deviation ( SD ) in probability theory and statistics . Such a coefficient is a standardized measure of dispersion for a physical value and has also been used to describe the variation of properties in ferroelectric materials . It can be calculated as a ratio of SD to mean ( MN ) in a certain temperature range as C .…”