A high-performance stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator based on
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles.
Abstract
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are emerging as new technologies to
harvest electrical power from mechanical energy. With the distinctive
working mechanism of triboelectric nanogenerators, they attract
particular interest in healthcare monitoring, wearable electronics, and
deformable energy harvesting, which raise the requirement for highly
conformable devices with substantial energy outputs. Here, a simple,
low-cost strategy for fabricating stretchable triboelectric
nanogenerators with ultra-high electrical output is developed. The TENG
is prepared using PTFE micron particles (PP-TENG), contributing a
different electrostatic induction process compared to TENG based on
dielectric films, which was associated with the dynamics of particle
motions in PP-TENG. The generator achieved an impressive voltage output
at 1000 V with current of 25 µA over a contact area of 40×20 mm2.
Additionally, the TENG exhibits excellent durability with a stretching
strain of 500%, and the electrical output performance does not show any
significant degradation even after 3000 cycles at a strain of 400%. The
unique design of the device provides high conformability and can be used
as a self-powered sensor for human motion detections.