Performance enhancement of transparent and flexible triboelectric nanogenerator based on one-dimensionally hybridized copper/polydimethylsiloxane film

Wearable/portable devices are essential for the automation, intelligence and digitization of next-generation electronic products. However, it is still challenging to obtain a kind of flexible, transparent and lightweight power source for these. Here, these were fabricated by cost-effective and feasible methods for both TENG with dual-electrode mode (tribo-negative layer: poly-(dimethylsiloxane)/copper nanowires (PDMS/Cu NWs), trio-positive layer: PET), and TENG with single-electrode mode based on half-embedded Cu NWs electrode and PDMS/Cu NWs negative friction layers. Respectively, these as-obtained TENGs show good flexibilities and transparency. Meanwhile, the two kinds of TENG exhibit high output voltages and power densities of 120 V and 2.0 W/m(2), 45 V and 0.134 W/m(2), respectively. The enhancements are ascribed to the increase of capacitance and electron flow in the tribo-electric layers caused by doping Cu NWs. The advantages of the PDMS/Cu NWs based TENG include the ease of fabrication, good biocompatibility, flexibility and transparency, empowering it as a promising sustainable method for obtaining daily environmental energy as a self-powered source to drive wearable/portable electronic devices.

Automated summary

Wearable/portable devices require flexible, transparent, and lightweight power sources. In this study, flexible and transparent triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) were fabricated using cost-effective methods. By doping copper nanowires (Cu NWs) into the friction layers, the TENGs achieved high output voltages and power densities. The PDMS/Cu NWs-based TENG showed advantages such as ease of fabrication, good biocompatibility, flexibility, and transparency, making it a promising sustainable method for self-powered wearable/portable electronic devices.