Surface-engineered high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered health monitoring and electronics

A high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been proposed as a solution to the low output power issue that has hindered the practical application of TENGs. The high-performance TENG was achieved through the surface engineering of one of the triboelectric layers. The surface engineering is performed using sandpapers of different grit sizes to achieve the required physical surface modification to enhance the performance of the TENG's. The TENG proposed in this study consists of ZnO nanosheets grown on a surface-modified aluminum substrate and a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film as triboelectric layers. The TENG demonstrated a maximum peak-peak voltage and current of 1442 V and 155 mu A, respectively, for the hand tapping force. The observed power density of 10.8 W/m(2) at a load resistance of 10 M Omega is the highest reported value for ZnO nanosheet based TENGs reported to date. This higher power density allows the TENG to power up to approximately 824 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and small electronic devices without the need for any storage element. The TENG was also tested as a wearable device on different parts of the body, where it harvested biomechanical energy and acted as a self-powered respiratory monitoring sensor. Therefore, the proposed TENG has the potential to be used in multifunctional wearable devices and self-powered health monitoring sensors.