Wearable triboelectric devices for haptic perception and VR/AR applications

This article reports a novel and rational approach to convert waste cigarette filters (CFs), one of the largest sources of ocean pollution, into high-performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) and efficient CO2-capturing adsorbents. CFs are plasticized cellulose acetate, which take several years to degrade. To revalorize these fibers, selective amine surface functionalization is performed (10PAL-20T-CFs). For the proof of concept, when the modified fibers are employed in a TENG, it could generate an output voltage (96.63 V) and current (9.37 μA) that are, respectively, 43 and 8 times higher than those obtained employing the pristine CFs for the nanogenerator. The proposed TENG displays an instantaneous peak power of 3.75 mW, which is higher than that of many recently reported TENGs made from cellulose materials. Moreover, the TENG displayed outstanding durability to humidity and high-performance stability when it is subjected to cyclic loading (i.e., 12,000 cycles of loading–unloading). A 9 cm2 TENG could effectively light up 100 or more colored light-emitting diodes when it is manually pressed. Finally, the modified filter fibers show an excellent CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.93 mmol/g, which is 9.2 times higher than that obtained using the pristine fibers. These results demonstrate that hazardous wastes such as CFs can be upcycled into valuable resources.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Hazardous Waste to Green Applications: Selective Surface Functionalization of Waste Cigarette Filters for High-Performance Robust Triboelectric Nanogenerators and CO₂ Adsorbents

Roy

Das

Ghosh

et al. 2022

“…The piezoresistive and capacitive force sensors are in high need of additional energy supplies to maintain operations, resulting in energy and cost issues for large-scale practical applications . On this account, triboelectric and piezoelectric sensors featuring self-sustainability and low cost for wide application are attracting increasing research interest. − Nevertheless, compared to the piezoelectric device structure, triboelectric sensors are normally designed with separated open assembling architecture, which may cause equipment failure under some extreme conditions, such as high-humidity environments. Fortunately, the advent of ferro/piezoelectrets, which have been reported to show prosperities of lightweight, thin-film type, high operating stability, great flexibility, and low-cost fabrication, thus can offer a promising strategy for constructing robust force sensors with compact device design and long life span. − In addition, by employing waterproof encapsulation materials, the target sensors can be utilized in some harsh environments, enabling the wide applicability of such sensors …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft, Multifunctional, Robust Film Sensor Using a Ferroelectret with Significant Longitudinal and Transverse Piezoelectric Activity for Biomechanical Monitoring

Pan

Zhang

et al. 2022

Soft and intelligent bioelectronics have achieved unprecedented development in both academics and industries over the last few decades, especially as ideal bodyworn detectors for continuous human health status monitoring. However, the longstanding functional stability of bioelectronics in multiple environmental conditions of variant temperatures, humidities, and mechanical stimuli or even in some extremes, such as ultraviolet radiation and X-ray radiation, has confined the application of these electronics. Herein, a self-sustainable, multifunctional, robust sensor for biomechanical monitoring is prepared by hybridizing a parallel-tunnel fluorinated poly(ethylene propylene) (FEP) ferroelectret film (sensing layer) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS, protection layer). A fast response (80 ms) and a low pressure detection limit (10 Pa) were achieved. Notably, the self-powered sensor can not only sensitively detect the loading of solid objects but also percept liquid water droplets and airflow, which satisfies the diverse needs of wearable devices. Meanwhile, the capability of stable and repeatable operation under a wide temperature range (−26−70 °C), extreme moisture, continuous mechanical stimulus (∼1.08 million cycles), and long-time ultraviolet radiation enabled the extensive and long-term application of such sensors in multiple scenarios. Moreover, the reproducibility of sensing performance after X-ray radiation can be realized through second contact polarization even after encapsulation. Due to the inherent mechanical flexibility, the fabricated sensor was conformally attached to rough and deformed skin and verified the feasibility of wearable biomechanical sensing with high sensitivity from facial smiling to plantar movement. This work provides an efficient strategy for multifunctional sensing, holding great promise for advanced soft bioelectronics in the next generation of wearable intelligent electronic systems.

“…3,4 Based on various mechanisms, such as resistance, 5 capacitance, 6 and waveguides, 7 several high-performance sensors have been proposed for the construction of HMIs. 8 These sensors are embedded in intelligent interactive applications, such as the Internet of Things, health monitoring, industrial controls, medical devices, robotics, and virtual/augmented reality. 9−14 However, HMIs still pose significant risks in terms of revealing sensitive information in activities such as information recording, financial management, and personal communications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Human–machine interfaces (HMIs) are the most advanced way of information transmission between humans and machines. Current intelligent equipment sets greater requirements for HMI versatility, mobility, portability, and naturalness. , Intelligent interfaces adapted to interactive scenarios have aroused considerable research interest in recent years. , Based on various mechanisms, such as resistance, capacitance, and waveguides, several high-performance sensors have been proposed for the construction of HMIs . These sensors are embedded in intelligent interactive applications, such as the Internet of Things, health monitoring, industrial controls, medical devices, robotics, and virtual/augmented reality. − However, HMIs still pose significant risks in terms of revealing sensitive information in activities such as information recording, financial management, and personal communications. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Smart Pen Based on Triboelectric Effects for Handwriting Pattern Tracking and Biometric Identification

Feng

Wang

et al. 2022

The rapid development of artificial intelligence places high demands on human–machine interfaces. Various types of huma–machine interfaces have been implemented, including smart keyboards, electronic skins, and wearable motion sensors. Handwriting behavior has a high degree of interaction freedom, and handwriting characteristics offer high-security standards for human–machine systems. Herein, we propose a portable smart pen integrated with triboelectric displacement vector sensors to trace handwriting trajectories for human–machine interactions and biometric identification. A triboelectric pressure sensor array is evenly distributed along the pen case to sense displacement vectors, and an additional triboelectric sensor is placed on top of the pen to detect vertical force. By leveraging the resin pen refill as a tribopositive material and a nanowired polyethylene tribonegative layer attached to a Cu electrode, triboelectric signals are generated during the writing/moving process. The calculation and analysis of the sensor signals enable the recognition of handwritten patterns, including Latin letters and Arabic numerals. Moreover, the smart pen can be used to authenticate users based on their unique handwriting patterns, which can help take human–machine interfaces and cyber security to the next level. Furthermore, a custom smart pen operation mode that enables the control of a slide presentation demonstrates the smart pen’s potential for various human–machine interface applications.