Ultrathin Stretchable Triboelectric Nanogenerators Improved by Postcharging Electrode Material

Abstract

Sustainable ultrathin stretchable power sources have emerged with the development of wearable electronics. They obtain energy from living organisms and the environment to drive these wearable electronics. Here, an ultrathin stretchable and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) improved by chargeable carbon black (CB)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite material (CT-TENG) is proposed for mechanical energy harvesting and physiological signal sensing. The CB/TPU composite can act as both a stretchable electrode and a triboelectric layer due to the coexistence of conductive CB and dielectric TPU. The CT-TENG demonstrates good stretchability (≈646%), ultrathin thickness (≈50 μm), and a lightweight (≈62 mg). The triboelectric electrode material can be improved by postcharging treatment. With the corona charging process, the output performance of the CT-TENG was improved eightfold and reached 41 V. Moreover, the CT-TENG with a self-powered sensing capability can inspect the amplitude and frequency of different physiological movements. Consequently, the CT-TENG is promising in promoting the development of electronic skins, wearable systems of self-powered sensors, human−machine interactions, soft robotics, and artificial intelligence applications.

Electrode materials for stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator in wearable electronics

“…This system which possessed a denser interlinked network of CB fillers is also a good example of the ability of flexible thermoplastic elastomers to accommodate a considerable amount of filler without affecting their flexibility. 26 In all these cases, it can be observed that the stretchability comes from the polymeric domain and does not interfere with the conductive pathways provided by the other component. The major factor to be considered in obtaining excellent surface charge density and power output for TENGs used in wearable application is to render the electrode material highly conductive.…”

Amino‐Terminated Hyperbranched Polymer‐Based Recyclable Elastic Fibers for a Breathable and Antibacterial Triboelectric Nanogenerator

“…TENG is known to convert the distributed mechanical energy into electricity by coupling electrostatic induction and triboelectrification. [50][51][52] This kind of flexible device works based on mechanical deformations under the external stimulus, thus electrode reliability of the device under deformations is one of the important factors to affect triboelectric output. Herein, we designed an Ag NWs-based single-electrode TENG based on the MPVA/Ag NPs fiber membrane to study its resistance response as well as triboelectric stability.…”

A Review on Epidermal Nanogenerators: Recent Progress of the Future Self‐Powered Skins

“…Stretchable and/or shape adaptable 41 [53,79,126,130,158, Ultrathin d) 5 [183,190,205,210,213] Transparent 9 [130,158,182,187,194,196,203,206,213] Sweat permeable 1 [213] Wireless connected 5 [208,[214][215][216][217] Low-cost 11 [179,183,188,190,191,198,199,204,211,214,218] Facile manufacturing 6 [179,183,184,188,199,214] Biocompatible 4 [53,79,190,213] Metal-free 1 [219] Humidity resistive 2 [181,220] Self-healable 5…”