Surface Triboelectrification of MXenes with Fluorine Groups for Flexible Energy Harvesting and Sensing

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted attention for flexible electronics in the past decade. MXene is gradually applied in TENGs for performance enhancement, but the surface triboelectrification mechanism still needs to be further investigated experimentally. Herein, an experimental approach of regulating MXene fluorine groups by alkalization as a contrast to validate the mechanism is proposed. The MXene film and alkalized MXene film are studied to exploit the surface state. Compared with alkalized MXene‐based TENGs, MXene‐based TENG obtains enhancement in open‐circuit voltage, short‐circuit current, and output power by 4.1 times, 4.6 times, and even 136.6 times, respectively. The excellent performance enables flexible sensing and energy harvesting. Notably, this work reveals MXene surface triboelectrification mechanism and might motivate a new approach for TENG performance enhancement.

Hierarchically spring nanofibrous and wrinkled-structured electrode for highly comfortable wearable triboelectric nanogenerators

“…1 Mobile power is a major challenge in the digital age with flexible, stretchable, and portable electronic apparatuses. 2 Among self-powered technologies, like electro-magnetic generators, 3,4 triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), 5–9 and piezoelectric nanogenerators, 10,11 TENG with the merit of lightweight, simple structure, and various choices of materials has been considered an effective technique to convert mechanical energy into electricity using electrification and electrostatic induction effects. 2,12–15 By contact between two surfaces, opposite triboelectric charges are produced on the two layers.…”