A triboelectric nanogenerator with synergistic complementary nanopatterns fabricated by block copolymer self-assembly

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising candidates for self-powered sensors or power supplies, with advantages of low production cost and facile fabrication. The electrical output performance of TENGs can be enhanced by increasing the effective contact area between triboelectric materials...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2024-05, Vol.12 (19), p.1132-1139
Main Authors: Yun, Seong-Yun, Kim, Min Hyeok, Yang, Geon Gug, Choi, Hee Jae, Kim, Do-Wan, Choi, Yang-Kyu, Kim, Sang Ouk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Block copolymers
Electric contacts
Electric power sources
Fabrication
Gait
Heavy metals
Interfacial energy
Molecular weight
Nanogenerators
Nanopatterning
Operating costs
Photolithography
Polymers
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Production costs
Self-assembly
Surface roughness
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Summary:Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising candidates for self-powered sensors or power supplies, with advantages of low production cost and facile fabrication. The electrical output performance of TENGs can be enhanced by increasing the effective contact area between triboelectric materials. However, typical methodologies to improve surface roughness, including photolithography, commonly suffer from high processing cost and limited selection of materials. Herein, a TENG with complementary nanopatterns (CN-TENG), synergistically composed of protruded metals (gold) and indented polymers (Teflon), is fabricated by means of block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly, while adjusting the molecular weight ( M W ) of the BCPs. Mussel-inspired polydopamine treatment was applied to optimize the interfacial energy of the chemically inert triboelectric material surfaces for desirable BCP nanopatterning. The resultant nanopatterned pairs were systematically classified into nine types of combinations to exploit the interplay among different patterned morphologies. The CN-TENG yielded substantially improved electrical outputs compared to the nonpatterned counterpart and a spatially designed array consisting of six CN-TENGs was successfully utilized for a gait monitoring system to detect gait abnormalities. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with complementary nanopatterns was fabricated by block copolymer self-assembly using Mussel-inspired surface engineering. The TENG yielded enhanced electrical outputs and was applied to gait monitoring system.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/d4ta00497c