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This research aims to develop flexible semiconductors for triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) applications. The sample powders of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) as N-type and P-type semiconductors, respectively, were synthesized. The semiconductors were prepared to be a composite film with alginate. The structure, morphology, and purity of the N- and P-type semiconductors were characterized using X-Ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Through the optical characterization, the N-type semiconductor showed the calculated energy band gap of 2.80 eV, while the P-type semiconductor was 1.90 eV. The P–N junction property of prepared samples was confirmed using a nonlinear current–voltage characteristic. After that, two flexible semiconductors were frictional paired for TENG. Through a vertical contact-separation mode, the P–N junction-based TENG produced a maximum output voltage and current of 3.90 V and 0.44 µA, respectively, with a maximum output power of 0.35 µW at 10 MΩ. In summary, the present work achieved the preparation of flexible P- and N-type semiconductors. The feasibility to harvest the mechanical energy was demonstrated in the TENG configuration. This idea is crucial for the future development of flexible harvesting/sensing devices using a novel concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent, flexible, and high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) from nature-derived materials are required for sustainable society development. However, low triboelectricity from natural material is generally observed. Tunable electronic band diagram (EBD) through facile manipulation is one of the efficient methods to promote the TENG output, requiring fundamental, in depth understanding. Herein, we employed the high quality, single crystal-like Ti2NbO7 nanosheets (NSs) with dual dielectric and semiconducting properties as filler for bacterial cellulose (BC)-based TENG. Several techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet—visible (UV—vis) absorption, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) were applied to characterize the long-range structure, microstructure, optical properties, elemental composition, and three-dimensional (3D) distribution of components in the composites. The semi-transparent and flexible 5 vol.% Ti2NbO7 NSs/BC preserved the integrity of cellulose, contained well-dispersed nanosheets, reduced optical band gap (4.20 vs. 5.75 eV for BC), and increased surface roughness. The dielectric permittivity and conductivity increased with nanosheets content. Adding negatively-charged Ti2NbO7 NSs could regulate the charge affinity of BC composite via shifting of Fermi energy over that of Al. It is found that adding 5 vol.% NSs into the BC film improved electrical outputs (~ 36 V and ~ 8.8 µA), which are 2–4 times higher than that of pure BC, even when paired with Al which lies adjacent in triboelectric series. Our work demonstrated the method to enhance BC-based TENG performance through EBD regulation using multifunctional Ti2NbO7 NSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for converting human mechanical energies into electricity are being investigated widely, because of their potentially diverse applications that come from wearable power supplied to multifunctional self-powered sensing. However, external influences, such as water or high humidity, seriously degrade the electrical output of TENGs. Therefore, a simple method was implemented for fabricating a water repellent fabric-based TENG for harvesting human mechanical energies. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or SiO2 modified by trichloro(octadecyl)silane (OTS) were sprayed onto a polyester (PET) fabric surface to increase hydrophobicity. The PTFE and SiO2/OTS coated polyester fabrics exhibited excellent water repellency with a high-water contact angle of ∼144° and ∼153°, respectively. The surface morphology of the coated fabrics showed roughness with a granular structure, which was responsible for air entrapment that prevented water from penetrating the fabric. Furthermore, electrical output of conventional PET fabric-based TENG was found to improve with the deposition of PTFE particles on the fabric surface. By pairing the PTFE coated fabric with aluminum (Al) tape, in order to fabricate TENG, the device generated a maximum voltage of 10.2 V and short-circuit current of 0.20 µA, with a power output of 0.23 μ W/cm2, which is 14 times greater than that of SiO2/OTS coated fabric-based TENG. The process for achieving water repellent fabric is simple, and the coating materials are available. Thus, a water repellent fabric-based TENG is promising for large-scale production of wearable harvesters from power supplied to multifunctional self-powered sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to their structural advantages over bulk polymers, porous 3D substrates possess immense potential in triboelectric energy generation. This work reports the effective effort to fabricate the porous structure of polydimethylsiloxane, also known as the sponge-PDMS, by a simple template method. The sodium chloride salt from commodity product is used to create the 300 μm size of pores within the PDMS elastomeric layers, turning affects to the mechanical deformability of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The inner face of those pores is composited with the PVDF-HFP particles as a piezoelectric fillers. The presence of those fillers can be confirmed and their distribution within porous PDMS is 3D visualized by the synchrotron radiation X-ray tomography. The spatial distribution of the PVDF-HFP made it possible to fabricate the piezo-embedded macroporous TENG with high output power of 7.84 μW, giving over 2-fold enhancement, compared with the sponge-PDMS and even more when compared with the flat PDMS film under the same mechanical force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]