Regulation of nanocrystals structure for high-performance magnetic triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a kind of capacitive conduction to convert mechanical triggering into electricity, which is the realized applications of Maxwell's equations in the field of nano energy and self-powered systems. As a conductor to participate electrostatic induction, the induction electrode has received little cognition. According to the unified theory of electromagnetics, the investigation of magnetic medium in TENG should not be ignored. Here we fabricate flexible single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) by the Micro Electromechanical System (MEMS) compatible technology, including non-destructive peeling technology and in-situ electrodeposition. Specifically, the S-TENG is composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the negative triboelectric layer and electrodeposited nickel as the induction electrode. Theoretically and experimentally, we demonstrate that ferromagnetic Ni electrode could substantially enhance the electrical output of TENG, which is attributed to the generated magnetizing current. The enhancement mechanism proposed in this work follows the law of energy conservation, which utilizes the natural magnetostatic energy inside the ferromagnetic medium and couples the working principle of TENG, thus making great contributions to the output of TENG. Furthermore, the relationship between the magnetic structure and performance is surveyed, and the stability of Ni and Ni-based S-TENG is also investigated. Finally, the proposed strategy for fabricating enhanced and stable Ni electrode is utilized in flexible energy harvester, and shows great prospects in flexible electronics.