Wearable High-Performance MWCNTs/PDMS Nanocomposite-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Haptic Applications

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are fast emerging as promising and potential energy harvesters. However, the performance of the polymer-based TENGs needs to be enhanced for haptic and wearable applications. In this work, we have designed and developed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-based TENG for haptic applications. The unique electrical properties of the human body, which make it a suitable triboelectric material, were a critical factor in our design. The incorporation of MWCNTs enhanced the electrical properties of the nanocomposite, thereby increasing the performance of the TENG. To demonstrate the performance of the TENG under variable contact tapping forces and frequencies, the as-fabricated films were tested in vertical contact separation and single electrode modes. The TENG exhibited an open-circuit output voltage of ~249 V, a short-circuit current of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 28.03~\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula>A, and a power density of 2.81 W/m2 at a matching load of 5.5 M<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The TENG exhibited an excellent, stable electrical performance for haptic applications. The TENG’s excellent performance was validated by the illumination of 30 blue and 120 red LEDs. Additionally, it was employed to power portable electronic devices. Therefore, these flexible and wearable TENGs with high performance are highly desirable for haptic applications.