Water-resistive and wearable triboelectric nanogenerators based on polyurethane/polyester textiles fabricated utilizing a planarization layer

Abstract

We report a water-resistive and wearable triboelectric nanogenerator on a polyurethane/polyester textile substrate with a planarization layer. The power generation and reliability of the triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) fabricated utilizing a resin planarization layer were significantly enhanced in comparison with those of TENGs without the resin planarization layer. The planarization layer was deposited on the polyurethane/polyester textile substrate by using spin coating and ultraviolet curing to improve its surface properties and polarity. The output voltages and currents of TENGs based on a resin planarization layer on a polyurethane/polyester substrate were measured in the vertical contact-separation mode by using a counter unit containing Al electrodes and a polyimide friction layer. The TENGs exhibited a peak potential of over 30 V, which is about three times larger than that of the devices without such a planarization layer, and the corresponding maximum power density was 3.16 mW/m2. Furthermore, the results of endurance and water resistance tests carried out on the TENGs with a resin planarization layer on a textile substrate showed that such devices were suitable for use in applications in which the device must be worn.

Advanced materials for triboelectric nanogenerator

“…As the TENG need to work for long periods of time, the tribo-material surfaces are frequently subjected to severe wear, which lead to a serious reduction in TENG output performance. Much work has been devoted to improving the wear-resistance of materials, such as material modification [76,[97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105], non-contact [106,107], liquid lubrication [108][109][110], etc. Among these, material modification has received the most attention because it is a simple and straightforward approach.…”