Improvements of the Output Performance of the Polyethylene Oxide Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators by Introducing the Shell-core Ag@SiO2 Particles

The development of self-powered technology in nano energy puts forward higher requirements for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), in which it is necessary to further improve output performance to broaden the scope of application, and environmentally-friendly and sustainable development needs to be realized as well, by the recycling of friction materials. The preparation of environmentally-friendly and sustainable TENGs is reported in this work, by a feasible and cost-effective solution casting method, in which Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and Ecoflex are regarded as positive/negative friction materials respectively. With introducing micron-sized shell-core Ag@SiO2 particles into the PEO matrix, micro-nano structures are constructed to increase the effective contact area, and the enhancement of dielectric properties is also achieved in the meantime. The Ag@SiO2-PEO/Ecoflex TENG with optimum particles content of 50 wt% produces a short-circuit current of 10 μA, an open-circuit voltage of 95 V, and a transfer charges of 35 nC at a frequency of 3 Hz. The maximum output power density of the Ag@SiO2-PEO-50 wt%/Ecoflex TENG up to 1.5 W/m2 is reached under different load resistances. The stability and flexibility of the TENGs are verified as well, which leads to a novel approach of application in wearable-flexible electronic devices. Additionally, the sustainable utilization of the TENGs is achieved as a result of the water solubility of PEO material, with significant output performance retention. This work provides an innovative thought for the further modification of the output performance of flexible and sustainable TENGs.