Enhanced Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on MoS₂ Monolayer Nanocomposites Acting as Electron-Acceptor Layers

Abstract

As one of their major goals, researchers attempting to harvest mechanical energy efficiently have continuously sought ways to integrate mature technologies with cutting-edge designs to enhance the performances of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). In this research, we introduced monolayer molybdenum-disulfide (MoS₂) into the friction layer of a TENG as the triboelectric electron-acceptor layer in an attempt to dramatically enhance its output performance. As a proof of the concept, we fabricated a vertical contact-separation mode TENG containing monolayer MoS₂ as an electron-acceptor layer and found that the TENG exhibited a peak power density as large as 25.7 W/m², which is 120 times larger than that of the device without monolayer MoS₂. The mechanisms behind the performance enhancement, which are related to the highly efficient capture of triboelectric electrons in monolayer MoS₂, are discussed in detail. This study indicates that monolayer MoS₂ can be used as a functional material for efficient energy harvesting.