Triboelectric Nanogenerators Made of Porous Polyamide Nanofiber Mats and Polyimide Aerogel Film: Output Optimization and Performance in Circuits

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been attracting a tremendous amount of attention since their discovery in 2012. Finding new means to enhance energy output is an ongoing pursuit. Herein, we introduce a new type of high-performance TENG composed of highly porous polyamide (PA) nanofiber mats and polyimide aerogel films. We have demonstrated that the thickness of the porous triboelectric materials, which is attained by stacking multiple layers of triboelectric materials, has a profound effect on the triboelectric output performance of TENGs. The triboelectric output increased when PA increased from one layer to six layers. However, it decreased when PA was further increased to 12 layers. With an optimum material thickness, a TENG with only a 2 cm effective device size achieved a high output voltage of 115 V and a current of 9.5 μA under a small compressive pressure (30 kPa). A peak power density of 1.84 W/m was achieved on a 4.7 MΩ external load. The TENG was able to light 60 light-emitting diodes easily and quickly charge capacitors with different capacitance to 6 V, indicating an outstanding energy harvesting ability. In addition, the performance of multiple TENGs connected in different ways, as well as the performance of TENGs in resistive/inductive/capacitive circuits, were investigated. These findings provide new insight into the working principles of TENGs in complex circuits.

Cellulose Paper Modified by a Zinc Oxide Nanosheet Using a ZnCl2-Urea Eutectic Solvent for Novel Applications

“…However, the V OC and I SC are much lower compared to the related reports despite the ability to obtain the high output voltage and current for the P-TENG. For instance, Mi et al fabricated a type of TENG consisting of polyamide nanofiber mats and polyimide (PI) aerogel films, which achieved a V OC of 115 V and I SC of 9 µA [ 63 ]. Chen et al also demonstrated a TENG with a Voc and Isc of 196.8 V and 31.5 μA, respectively.…”

Nanostructured versus flat compact electrode for triboelectric nanogenerators at high humidity

“…The mechanism principle of TENG is based on triboelectrification contact and electrostatic induction 19 , 21 , 22 . In the triboelectrification phenomenon, contact between two materials with different triboelectric affinity produces a charge and after surfaces separate from each other, the electrostatic induction causes the flow of electron current between two electrodes 4 , 19 , 23 , 24 . TENG performance is affected by the charge generation 25 .…”

“…TENG has diverse applications such as smart wearable devices, self-powered devices, health sensors, and environmental sensors for monitoring variations in pressure, temperature and humidity 15,[17][18][19][20] .The mechanism principle of TENG is based on triboelectrification contact and electrostatic induction 19,21,22 . In the triboelectrification phenomenon, contact between two materials with different triboelectric affinity produces a charge and after surfaces separate from each other, the electrostatic induction causes the flow of electron current between two electrodes 4,19,23,24 . TENG performance is affected by the charge generation 25 .…”

Assessment of triboelectricity in colossal-surface-area-lanthanum oxide nanocrystals synthesized via low-temperature hydrothermal process

“…The triboelectric device works on the principle of conjunction of tribo-electri cation and electrostatic induction [1]. The recent reports on active materials for TENGs have mainly focused to enhance the performance by morphology tuning, fabrication methods and selecting the best materials [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The recent reports focused mainly on tribo-active materials like zinc oxide (ZnO), polyvinylidene uoride (PVDF), polyimide aerogel, etc.…”