Flexible High-Resolution Triboelectric Sensor Array Based on Patterned Laser-Induced Graphene for Self-Powered Real-Time Tactile Sensing

Flexible tactile sensors are garnering substantial interest for various promising applications, including artificial intelligence, prosthetics, healthcare monitoring, and human–machine interactions (HMI). However, it still remains a critical challenge in developing high-resolution tactile sensors without involving high-cost and complicated manufacturing processes. Herein, a flexible high-resolution triboelectric sensing array (TSA) for self-powered real-time tactile sensing is developed through a facile, mask-free, high-efficient, and environmentally friendly laser direct writing technique. A 16 × 16 pixelated TSA with a resolution of 8 dpi based on patterned laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes (7 Ω sq⁻¹) is fabricated by the complementary intersection overlapping between upper and lower aligned semicircular electrode arrays. With the especially patterning design, the complexity of TSA and the number of data channels is reduced. Meanwhile, the TSA platform exhibits excellent durability and synchronicity and enables the achievement of real-time visualization of multipoint touch, sliding, and tracking motion trajectory without power consumption. Furthermore, a smart wireless controlled HMI system, composed of a 9-digital arrayed touch panel based on a LIG-patterned triboelectric nanogenerator, is constructed to control personal electronics wirelessly. Consequently, the self-powered TSA as a promising platform demonstrates great potential for an active real-time tactile sensing system, wireless controlled HMI, security identification and, many others.     

Self-Powered Piezoelectric Actuation Systems Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Sustainable power supply via triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is attractive for self-powered actuation systems in the era of the Internet of Things (IoTs). Herein, a low-power actuation scheme enabled by the multilayered TENG for piezoelectric actuators, including the stack, unimorph, and micro-fiber composite (MFC) actuator, is reported. The working principles of TENG-powered piezoelectric actuators and their displacement characteristics in direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) modes are theoretically investigated. Compared with conventional high-voltage power sources, the multilayered TENG delivers a maximum power of only 10.17 mW, providing a low-power alternative for piezoelectric actuator with self-powered capability and operational safety. Meanwhile, the hysteresis of the stack actuator that is critical in precise positioning control is reduced by 58.1%. A precise positioning system is demonstrated by utilizing the TENG-powered stack actuator as an object stage for microscope focusing applications. The feasibility of vibration control with a 76.7% reduction in vibration amplitude is also verified via two TENG-powered MFC actuators. A rectifying control circuit comprising the rectifier and gas discharging tube is established to implement AC–DC conversion and discharging control, achieving a larger displacement of the unimorph actuator. The TENG-powered piezoelectric micropump demonstrates its potential application in liquid transport through straightforward operation.     

Triboelectricity Based Self-Powered Digital Displacement Sensor for Aircraft Flight Actuation

The utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is on the rise across various industries. In such a scenario, the issue of flight safety for these UAVs becomes increasingly paramount. Currently, UAVs exhibit shortcomings in flight attitude perception compared to more mature manned aircraft, especially concerning the position sensing of flight actuation, which poses significant safety risks. Mature position monitoring solutions for flight actuation used in manned aircraft cannot be directly integrated into systems of UAV due to compatibility issues. This necessitates the development of new position sensing technologies to address this challenge. Triboelectric nanogenerators, with their advantages of miniaturization, self-powering capabilities, and the ability to generate voltage-level electrical signals, are chosen to form a part of the position detection system for sensors in UAVs. In this study, a self-powered displacement sensor is developed that utilizes frictional charge separation signals. This sensor is specifically designed to monitor the position status of the flight actuators in UAV. With a compact volume of <11.1 cm³ and a weight of <9.5 g, this sensor is lightweight efficient and adaptable for practical applications.     

Harvesting Multidirectional Breeze Energy and Self-Powered Intelligent Fire Detection Systems Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Fluid-Dynamic Modeling

Fire warning and monitoring are very important for public safety and environmental protection. However, most of the proposed wind energy conversion devices based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) only work for unidirectional and high-speed wind and face the challenge of fatigue damage and even failure caused by cyclic stress. Moreover, TENG guided by the theory of fluid dynamics needs further exploration. Herein, a flow-induced vibration effect based TENG (F-TENG) for continuously capturing and monitoring multidirectional breeze (1.8–4.3 m s⁻¹) is developed to build a self-powered intelligent fire detection system (SIFDS). A dynamic model is proposed to study the intrinsic interaction between the electrical properties of F-TENG and wind. Since the model optimized F-TENG is more adaptable to wind characteristics, it delivers better performance and higher durability compared with previous studies. Relying on the dynamic model and combining the relationship between F-TENG's electrical output and wind characteristics, a self-powered visual wind sensing system is obtained. F-TENG successfully drives some electronic devices to monitor environmental information, which is expected to provide data for SIFDS to reduce fire hazards. This study can provide an in-depth understanding of the electromechanical conversion mechanism and large-scale capture and utilization of breeze energy.     

Stretchable,Washable, and Ultrathin Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Skin-Like Highly Sensitive Self-Powered Haptic Sensors

Accompanying the boom in multifunctional wearable electronics, flexible, sustainable, and wearable power sources are facing great challenges. Here, a stretchable, washable, and ultrathin skin-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator (SI-TENG) to harvest human motion energy and act as a highly sensitive self-powered haptic sensor is reported. With the optimized material selections and structure design, the SI-TENG is bestowed with some merits, such as stretchability ( ≈ 800%), ultrathin ( ≈ 89 µ m), and light-weight ( ≈ 0.23 g), which conformally attach on human skin without disturbing its contact. A stretchable composite electrode, which is formed by homogenously intertwining silver nanowires (AgNWs) with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber networks, is fabricated through synchronous electrospinning of TPU and electrospraying of AgNWs. Based on the triboelectrification effect, the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and power density of the SI-TENG with a contact area of 2 × 2 cm² and an applied force of 8 N can reach 95 V, 0.3 µ A, and 6 mW m⁻², respectively. By integrating the signal-processing circuits, the SI-TENG with excellent energy harvesting and self-powered sensing capability is demonstrated as a haptic sensor array to detect human actions. The SI-TENG exhibits extensive applications in the fields of human–machine interface and security systems.     

A Self‐Powered Angle Measurement Sensor Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator

A self‐powered, sliding electrification based quasi‐static triboelectric sensor (QS‐TES) for detecting angle from rotating motion is reported. This innovative, cost‐effective, simply‐designed QS‐TES has a two‐dimensional planar structure, which consists of a rotator coated with four channel coded Cu foil material and a stator with a fluorinated ethylenepropylene film. On the basis of coupling effect between triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, the sensor generates electric output signals in response to mechanical rotating motion of an object mounted with the sensor. The sensor can read and remember the absolute angular position, angular velocity, and acceleration regardless being continuously monitored or segmented monitored. Under the rotation speed of 100 r min^?1, the output voltage of the sensor reaches as high as 60 V. Given a relatively low threshold voltage of ±0.5 V for data processing, the robustness of the device is guaranteed. The resolution of the sensor is 22.5° and can be further improved by increasing the number of channels. Triggered by the output voltage signal, the rotating characteristics of the steering wheel can be real‐time monitored and mapped by being mounted to QS‐TES. This work not only demonstrates a new principle in the field of angular measurement but also greatly expands the applicability of triboelectric nanogenerator as self‐powered sensors.     

Self-Healable Triboelectric Nanogenerators: Marriage between Self-Healing Polymer Chemistry and Triboelectric Devices

Based on the triboelectrification and electrostatic induction coupling, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, showing a promising potential in the fields of micro/nano energy and self-powered sensors applications. However, the devices are prone to malfunction due to fatigue and damage, limiting their development and applications. In this review, according to the working modes and operational malfunctions as well as the possible solutions, it is proposed that a robust TENG device can be constructed from three perspectives: self-healing friction layers, self-healing electrodes, and self-healing whole devices. Based on the structure, suitable environment, and self-healing materials, the design ideas and fabrication approaches of self-healing TENGs in recent years are summarized in detail. Finally, the development of self-healing TENGs in energy harvesting and self-powered sensors is outlined. It is the wish to provide insights and guidance for the application design of self-healing TENGs in the future.     

A Swing Self-Regulated Triboelectric Nanogenerator for High-Entropy Ocean Breaking Waves Energy Harvesting

Multidirectional irregular breaking wave is the most prominent feature of the ocean surface and bears tremendous amounts of sustainable high-entropy energy. However, the commercial utilization and harvesting efficiency are very limited low due to its low-frequency and low-amplitude. Here, a swing self-regulated triboelectric nanogenerator (SSR-TENG) is proposed, which can convert collected low-grade breaking waves energy into electrical energy by regulating the oscillation frequency and resonance effect. Benefiting from simple and efficient structural strategy, SSR-TENG outputs a peak power of 0.14 mW under wave height range of 6–11 cm, that the open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and transferred charge increases is 5.8, 4, and 3.7 times compared to without self-regulated design, respectively. This work gives a practical solution to the problems faced by harvesting high-entropy ocean breaking waves energy, which exhibits large potential for building the self-powered ocean assessment and meteorology system in the future.     

Lightweight Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting and Sensing Tiny Mechanical Motion

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have shown exciting applications in mechanical energy harvesting and self‐powered sensing. Aiming at commercial applications, cost reduction and simplification of TENG structures are of great interest. In this work, a lightweight TENG based on the integration of polymer nanowires and a carbon sponge, which serves both as the substrate and an electrode, are reported. Because of the low density of the carbon sponge and the filmy nanowires, the device exhibits a total mass of less than 0.1 g for a volume of 12.5 cm³ and it produces a short‐circuit current of 6 μA, open‐circuit voltage of 75 V, and a maximum output power of 0.28 W kg^?1 under light finger tapping. The device can linearly measure the acceleration at a detection limit down to 0.25 m s^?2 and for a detection range from 0.25 m s^?2 to 10.0 m s^?2.     

A Multi-Layer Stacked Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on a Rotation-to-Translation Mechanism for Fluid Energy Harvesting and Environmental Protection

Energy shortage and environmental degradation are two important challenges facing humanity. Here, a multi-layer stacked triboelectric nanogenerator (MLS-TENG) based on a rotation-to-translation mechanism is reported for fluid energy harvesting and environmental protection. The mechanism transforms fluid-induced rotation into a reciprocal translation of the MLS-TENG, enabling the conversion of fluid energy into electrical energy. In addition, benefiting from a multi-layer stacked structural design, the open-circuit voltage is increased from 860 to 2410 V and an efficient energy harvesting rate of 2 mJ min⁻¹ is obtained in an actual river. Furthermore, with the assistance of the MLS-TENG, a self-powered wireless temperature and humidity monitoring system and a metal anticorrosion system are successfully established. Ambient monitoring data can be transmitted continuously at an interval of 49.7 s, and the corrosion rate of steel is significantly slowed down. This study provides guidance for efficient harvesting of ambient fluid energy, with promising applications in environmental monitoring and protection.     

Alternating Magnetic Field-Enhanced Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Low-Speed Flow Energy Harvesting

Low-speed flow energy, such as breezes and rivers, which are abundant in smart agriculture and smart cities, faces significant challenges in efficient harvesting as an untapped sustainable energy source. This study proposes an alternating magnetic field-enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator (AMF-TENG) for low-speed flow energy harvesting, and demonstrates its feasibility through experimental results. AMF-TENG's minimum cut-in speed is 1 m s⁻¹, thereby greatly expanding its wind energy harvesting range. When the wind speed is 1–5 m s⁻¹, the open-circuit voltage (V_OC) is 20.9–179.3 V. The peak power is 0.68 mW at 5 m s⁻¹. In a durability test of 100 K cycles, the V_OC decreases from 188.4 to 174.2 V but remain at 92.5% of the initial value. furthermore, the AMF-TENG can harvest low-speed flow energy from the natural environment to power temperature and humidity sensors and wireless light intensity sensor in smart agriculture. This study provides a promising method for low-speed flow energy harvesting in distributed applications.     

Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Vibration Energy in Full Space and as Self‐Powered Acceleration Sensor

A spherical three‐dimensional triboelectric nanogenerator (3D‐TENG) with a single electrode is designed, consisting of an outer transparent shell and an inner polyfluoroalkoxy (PFA) ball. Based on the coupling of triboelectric effect and electrostatic effect, the rationally developed 3D‐TENG can effectively scavenge ambient vibration energy in full space by working at a hybridization of both the contact‐separation mode and the sliding mode, resulting in the electron transfer between the Al electrode and the ground. By systematically investigating the output performance of the device vibrating under different frequencies and along different directions, the TENG can deliver a maximal output voltage of 57 V, a maximal output current of 2.3 μA, and a corresponding output power of 128 μW on a load of 100 MΩ, which can be used to directly drive tens of green light‐emitting diodes. Moreover, the TENG is utilized to design the self‐powered acceleration sensor with detection sensitivity of 15.56 V g^‐1. This work opens up many potential applications of single‐electrode based TENGs for ambient vibration energy harvesting techniques in full space and the self‐powered vibration sensor systems.     

A Universal Power Management Strategy Based on Novel Sound-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Its Fully Self-Powered Wireless System Applications

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), the power supply to trillions of IoT nodes has become a serious challenge. It is of significant importance to propose a rational power management scheme for constructing fully self-powered systems using triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). In this study, as inspired by an embroidery hoop, a new type of TENG without the Helmholtz resonant cavity is developed for collecting sound energy, which can generate the V_oc and I_sc up to 500 V and 124 µA, respectively at a resonance frequency of 170 Hz and sound pressure of 110 dB. Furthermore, the sound-driven TENG integrated with a specially designed power management circuit derived from the universal power management strategy (PMS) can successfully drive a commercial narrow band-IoT wireless node, which realizes periodic temperature and humidity data acquisition and transmission. With the same strategy, an electric switch and a temperature and humidity acquisition system based on Bluetooth technology can also be powered by a contact-separated TENG and a wind-driven TENG, demonstrating excellent versatility, adaptability, and universality of the PMS. This study provides a novel solution for the application of TENG in the field of low-frequency IoT in local and wide areas.     

Self-Powered Syringe Pump for Insulin Pump Therapy Based on High-Voltage Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Insulin pump therapy (IPT) is commonly utilized for treating type 1 diabetes. However, the insulin pump is generally rigid, and its prolonged use can cause discomfort to patients. Additionally, the device suffers from other drawbacks such as limited battery life. Herein, an IPT system consisting of a dielectric elastomer-based soft syringe pump (DE-SSP) and a high-voltage triboelectric nanogenerator (H-TENG) is introduced, which can achieve stable and adjustable liquid output depending on real-time blood glucose. The maximum pump volume of this IPT can reach 262.4 or 303.7 µL when powered by a DC source or H-TENG, respectively, which is generally sufficient to meet the requirements of the therapy. H-TENG possesses a sensitive self-protection mechanism that minimizes the risk of electrical damage and it can be easily fabricated or repaired and flexibly designed according to the application environment. The proposed IPT system is compatible with different placement angles and utilizes compliant electrodes with good biocompatibility that ensure its safety. It also overcomes common issues including rigidness, relatively fixed bolus delivery options, and short battery life associated with traditional insulin pumps. This study not only demonstrates a combination of H-TENG and DE-based actuators but also opens new avenues for microelectromechanical systems micropumps.     

Acid and Alkali-Resistant Textile Triboelectric Nanogenerator as a Smart Protective Suit for Liquid Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Monitoring in High-Risk Environments

Industrialization and anthropogenic activities are expected and unavoidable to consummate the current resources of humankind, which also lead to accidents in the laboratory, chemical plants, or other high risk areas that cause severe burns, or even casualties. Increased casualties in such accidents are due to inappropriate safety measures and prevention. Here, a smart anti-chemical protective suit with a bio-motion energy harvesting and self-powered safety monitoring system is demonstrated, which can protect the body from chemical harm, detect sudden chemical spills, monitor human real-time living signals, and trigger alarms in an emergency. Particularly, a fabric triboelectric nanogenerator (F-TENG), which is fabricated by the all-fiber single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator yarn (SETY), works as the basic elements of the intelligent suit. The SETY with core-shell structured design shows a high sensitivity to the corrosive liquids including acids and alkalis. Furthermore, the working principle of the yarn based nanogenerator that is powered by contacting with acid liquid droplets is demonstrated for the first time. In addition, discretionary thickness, permeability, and any other functionalities are also achieved by taking advantage of the fabric structure. This self-powered smart anti-chemical protective suit equipped with a real time monitoring system will benefit the wearer who works in a very high-risk environment.     

A Self-Healing Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Feathers for Sensing and Energy Harvesting

A useful direction to solve the energy problem is the effective repeated use of biomaterial for mechanical energy collection and sensing applications. Here, a feather-based single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (F-STENG) by only sputtering copper atoms on the feathers are presented. The feather of F-STENG, as a natural material, has environmental friendliness, which is different from the polymer materials of other triboelectric nanogenerators. F-STENG has super durability due to its feather structure self-healing property. The device has a high output voltage of 90 V and an output current of 3.5 µA. After breaking and self-healing lots of times, the output performance is also 80% of the original. F-STENG has a high sensitivity to temperature, humidity, and wind speed, and the sensitivity is 0.50 V °C⁻¹, -0.98 V RH⁻¹, and 1.67 μA m⁻¹ s⁻¹. The output power of F-STENG is 0.62 mW g⁻¹, which can realize global positioning and photographing to solve the module energy consumption problem. F-STENG provides an effective way for the application of self-powered sensors and equipment in military, industrial, transportation, and daily life.     

Robust Solid-Liquid Triboelectric Nanogenerators: Mechanisms,Strategies and Applications

Solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (SL-TENGs) are a new technology that combines contact electrification (CE) and electrostatic induction to collect clean energy stored in natural water. Considering their unique advantages of high energy density, wide selection of materials and being suitable for large-scale promotion, they have attracted more and more attention in recent years, and numerous studies have shown their great potential in various applications. Many critical applications of SL-TENGs inevitably involve sustained and stable high electrical output. To achieve stable output performance and long cycle life in these applications, the adaptability of SL-TENGs to material selection, structural design, and working environment is necessary. Therefore, the construction of SL-TENGs matching different applications has become a critical research direction in TENGs. This review provides a historical summary of the development of SL-TENGs in the past few years and analyzes the key factors affecting their electrical output performance. The exciting achievements of different constructions of SL-TENGs for practical applications is also demonstrated such as energy harvesting, self-powered sensing, and self-powered cathodic protection. Finally, the development prospects of SL-TENGs and the significant challenges for their further development is discussed.     

Metal-Organic Framework Reinforced Highly Stretchable and Durable Conductive Hydrogel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Biomotion Sensing and Wearable Human-Machine Interfaces

Flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with multifunctional sensing capabilities offer an elegant solution to address the growing energy supply challenges for wearable smart electronics. Herein, a highly stretchable and durable electrode for wearable TENG is developed using ZIF-8 as a reinforcing nanofiller in a hydrogel with LiCl electrolyte. ZIF-8 nanocrystals improve the hydrogel's mechanical properties by forming hydrogen bonds with copolymer chains, resulting in 2.7 times greater stretchability than pure hydrogel. The hydrogel electrode is encapsulated by microstructured silicone layers that act as triboelectric materials and prevent water loss from the hydrogel. Optimized ZIF-8-based hydrogel electrodes enhance the output performance of TENG through the dynamic balance of electric double layers (EDLs) during contact electrification. Thus, the as-fabricated TENG delivers an excellent power density of 3.47 Wm^–2, which is 3.2 times higher than pure hydrogel-based TENG. The developed TENG can scavenge biomechanical energy even at subzero temperatures to power small electronics and serve as excellent self-powered pressure sensors for human-machine interfaces (HMIs). The nanocomposite hydrogel-based TENG can also function as a wearable biomotion sensor, detecting body movements with high sensitivity. This study demonstrates the significant potential of utilizing ZIF-8 reinforced hydrogel as an electrode for wearable TENGs in energy harvesting and sensor technology.     

Self‐Powered Tactile Sensor Array Systems Based on the Triboelectric Effect

With the arrival of intelligent terminals, tactile sensors which are capable of sensing various external physical stimuli are considered among the most vital devices for the next generation of smart electronics. To create a self‐powered tactile sensor system that can function sustainably and continuously without an external power source is of crucial significance. An overview of the development in self‐powered tactile sensor array system based on the triboelectric effect is systematically presented. The combination of multi‐functionalization and high performance of tactile sensors aimed at achieving highly comprehensive performance is presented. For the tactile sensor unit, a development is summarized based on the two primary modes which are vertical contact–separation and single‐electrode. For the pressure mapping array, the resolution is significantly enhanced by the novel cross‐type configuration based on the single‐electrode mode. Integrated with other mechanisms, the performance will be further elevated by broadening of the detect range and realizing of visualization of pressure imaging. Then, two main applications of human–machine interaction (HMI) and trajectory monitoring are comprehensively summarized. Finally, the future perspectives of self‐powered tactile sensor system based on triboelectric effect are discussed.     

Analysis and Experiment of Self-Powered,Pulse-Based Energy Harvester Using 400 V FEP-Based Segmented Triboelectric Nanogenerators and 98.2% Tracking Efficient Power Management IC for Multi-Functional IoT Applications

A self-powered system for the Internet of Things (IoT) is demonstrated for efficient energy harvesting of naturally available mechanical energy. In this system, new contact-separation mode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), based on fluorinated ethylene propylene, are investigated using the segmented multi-TENG configuration to reduce the effect of parasitic capacitance. The TENG extraction is optimized using a unit step excitation involved with the Dawson function to achieve a high voltage (400 V) and a high current (26.6 µA). To fully extract the power of the TENGs, the power management integrated circuit (PMIC) specially designed for adaptively controlled, high-voltage (HV) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is proposed. The PMIC implemented in a bipolar CMOS-DMOS 180 nm process can handle a wide input range (5–70 V) by consuming 420 nW. The MPPT control allows a wide range of impedance matching from 10 to 300 MΩ, achieving a tracking efficiency of up to 98.2%. The end-to-end efficiency of 88% demonstrates state-of-the-art performance. To supply a higher instantaneous power than that available from the TENGs, a duty-cycling technique is successfully demonstrated. The proposed energy harvesting system provides a promising approach to realizing sustainable and autonomous energy sources for various IoT applications.