Work

Thermally Stable and Shape‐Adaptive Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Liquid Electrolytes with Low Vapor Pressure

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Aqueous solution‐based liquid electrode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted considerable interest in recent years due to their exceptional stretchability, deformability, and inherent shape‐adaptability. However, previous aqueous solution‐based TENGs face challenges related to drying, which may lead to operational failures. In this study, a low‐vapor pressure liquid (LVPL) electrode TENG (LVPL‐TENG) is presented that uses branched polyethyleneimine (bPEI) or deep eutectic solvent, choline chloride/glycerol (ChCl:Gly), to increase the stability of the TENGs at high temperatures. The LVPL‐TENGs achieve a power density of ≈6.2 and 4.0 w m −2 when using bPEI and ChCl:Gly as electrodes, respectively. Furthermore, these devices have remarkable energy harvesting capabilities while being stretched up to 400%. Importantly, the LVPL‐TENGs maintain a constant electrical output after being stored at 100 °C for 24 h. Utilizing a simple single‐electrode design, the LVPL‐TENGs can efficiently harvest various small physiological movements, i.e., finger bending, grasping a coffee cup, or clicking a computer mouse. Additionally, the LVPL‐TENGs have the potential to function as self‐powered tactile sensors to detect the touch of any material object, indicating promising applications in the realm of human‐machine interaction. This study opens new avenues for deploying stretchable and shape‐adaptable TENGs operating at high temperatures.

Source: Small

DOI: 10.1002/smll.202500318