A high-performance textile triboelectric nanogenerator
is developed
based on the common commercial fabrics silk and polyester (PET). Electrospun
nylon 66 nanofibers were used to boost the tribo-positive performance
of silk, and a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) coating was deployed
to increase the tribo-negativity of PET. The modifications confer
a very significant boost in performance: output voltage and short-circuit
current density increased ∼17 times (5.85 to 100 V) and ∼16
times (1.6 to 24.5 mA/m2), respectively, compared with
the Silk/PET baseline. The maximum power density was 280 mW/m2 at a 4 MΩ resistance. The performance boost likely
results from enhancing the tribo-positivity (and tribo-negativity)
of the contact layers and from increased contact area facilitated
by the electrospun nanofibers. Excellent stability and durability
were demonstrated: the nylon nanofibers and PVDF coating provide high
output, while the silk and PET substrate fabrics confer strength and
flexibility. Rapid capacitor charging rates of 0.045 V/s (2 μF),
0.031 V/s (10 μF), and 0.011 V/s (22 μF) were demonstrated.
Advantages include high output, a fully textile structure with excellent
flexibility, and construction based on cost-effective commercial fabrics.
The device is ideal as a power source for wearable electronic devices,
and the approach can easily be deployed for other textiles.