Hierarchical Honeycomb-Structured Electret/Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Biomechanical and Morphing Wing Energy Harvesting

Flexible,compact,lightweight and sustainable power sources are indispensable for modern wearable and personal electronics and small-unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).Hierarchical honeycomb has the unique merits of compact mesostructures,excellent energy absorption properties and considerable weight to strength ratios.Herein,a honeycomb-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator(h-TENG)is proposed for biomechanical and UAV morphing wing energy harvesting based on contact triboelectrification wavy surface of cellular honeycomb structure.The wavy surface comprises a multilayered thin film structure(combining polyethylene terephthalate,silver nanowires and fluorinated ethylene propylene)fabricated through high-temperature thermoplastic molding and wafer-level bonding process.With superior synchronization of large amounts of energy generation units with honeycomb cells,the manufactured h-TENG prototype produces the maximum instantaneous open-circuit voltage,short-circuit current and output power of 1207 V,68.5μA and 12.4 mW,respectively,corresponding to a remarkable peak power density of 0.275 mW cm^(−3)(or 2.48 mW g^(−1))under hand pressing excitations.Attributed to the excellent elastic property of self-rebounding honeycomb structure,the flexible and transparent h-TENG can be easily pressed,bent and integrated into shoes for real-time insole plantar pressure mapping.The lightweight and compact h-TENG is further installed into a morphing wing of small UAVs for efficiently converting the flapping energy of ailerons into electricity for the first time.This research demonstrates this new conceptualizing single h-TENG device’s versatility and viability for broad-range real-world application scenarios.

Experimental investigation of a passive self-tuning resonator based on a beam-slider structure

This work investigates a self-tuning resonator composed of a slender clamped-clamped steel beam and a freely movable slider.The clamped-clamped beam exhibits hardening nonlinearity when it vibrates in large amplitude,providing a broad bandwidth of dynamic response.The moving slider changes the mass distribution of the whole structure,and provides a passive self-tuning approach for capturing the high-energy orbit of the structure.In the case without inclination,adequate inertial force that mainly depends on the vibration amplitude of the beam and the position of the slider can drive the slider to move from the side toward the centre of the beam.This movement amplifies the beam response when the excitation frequency is below 37 Hz in our prototyped device.In the multi-orbit frequency range(28-37 Hz),the self-tuning and magnification of beam response can be achieved when the slider is initially placed in an appropriate position on the beam.Once the beam is disturbed,however,the desired response in the high-energy orbit can be lost easily and cannot be reacquired without external assistance.In an improved design with a small inclination,the introduced small gravitational component enables the slider to move from the higher side toward the lower side when the beam amplitude is small.This property sacrifices the less efficient self-tuning region below 25 Hz,but can enable the beam to acquire and maintain the high-energy orbit response in the multi-orbit frequency range(28-39 Hz),which is resistant to disturbance.The proposed resonator in this paper not only broadens the frequency bandwidth of dynamic response,but also enables capture and maintenance of the high-energy orbit in a completely passive way.Such a passive self-tuning structure presents an advantage in the design of broadband vibration energy-harvesting systems.

Tertiary orientation structures enhance the piezoelectricity of MXene/PVDF nanocomposite

With the increasing demand for flexible piezoelectric sensor components,research on polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)based piezoelectric polymers is mounting up.However,the low dipole polarization and disordered polarization direction presented in PVDF hinder further improvement of piezoelectric properties.Here,we constructed an oriented tertiary structure,consisting of molecular chains,crystalline region,and MXene sheets,in MXene/PVDF nanocomposite via a temperature-pressure dual-field regulation method.The highly oriented PVDF molecular chains form approximately 90%of theβphase.In addition,the crystalline region structure with long-range orientation achieves out of plane polarization orientation.The parallel orientation arrangement of MXene effectively enhances the piezoelectric performances of the nanocomposite,and the current output of the device increases by nearly 23 times.This high output device is used to monitor exercise action,exploring the potential applications in wearable electronics.

Erratum to:Tertiary orientation structures enhance the piezoelectricity of MXene/PVDF nanocomposite

In the first page of the original version of this paper,the Received date should be“10 October 2023”instead of“10 October 2013”.

Gradient CNT/PVDF piezoelectric composite with enhanced force-electric coupling for soccer training

Real-time monitoring of ball–shoe interactions can provide essential information for high-quality instruction in personalized soccer training,yet existing monitoring systems struggle to reflect specific forces,loci,and durations of action.Here,we design a self-powered piezoelectric sensor constructed by the gradient carbon nanotube/polyvinylidene fluoride(CNT/PVDF)composite to monitor the interactions between the ball and the shoe.Two-dimensional Raman mapping demonstrates the gradient structure of CNT/PVDF prepared by programmable electrospinning combined with a hot pressing.Benefitting from the synergistic effect of local polarization caused by the enrichment of CNT and the reduced diffusion of silver patterns in gradient structure,the as-prepared composite exhibits enhanced force-electric coupling with an excellent sensitivity of 80 mV/N and durability over 15,000 cycles.On this basis,we conformally attach a 3×3 sensor array to a soccer shoe,enabling real-time acquisition of kick position and contact force,which could provide quantitative assessment and personalize guidance for the training of soccer players.This self-powered piezoelectric sensor network system offers a promising paradigm for wearable monitoring under strong impact forces.

Miura-origami-inspired electret/triboelectric power generator for wearable energy harvesting with water-proof capability

One of the critical issues for electret/triboelectric devices is the poor charge viability and stability in humid environments.Herein,we propose a new origami-inspired“W-tube”-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator(W-TENG)with two thin-film electrets folded based on Miura-origami.The Miura-origami fold is capable of transforming flat materials with large surface areas into reduced and compressed complex 3D structures with parallelogram tessellations.The triboelectric power generation components can thus be hermetically sealed inside the“W-tube”to avoid contact with the external humid environment.Furthermore,the elastic nature of the Miura-origami fold endows the proposed W-TENG device with excellent deformability,flexibility,and stretchability.Therefore,it is capable of harvesting kinetic energy from various directions and forms of movement,including horizontal pressing,vertical tapping,and lateral bending.The compact,light weight,and self-rebounding properties of the origami structure also make it convenient for integration into wearable devices.Various parameters of the W-TENG are intensively investigated,including the number of power generation units,original height of the device,acceleration magnitude,excitation direction,and water-proof capability.Triggered by hand tapping impulse excitation in the horizontal and vertical directions,the instantaneous open-circuit voltages can reach 791 V and 116 V with remarkable optimum powers of 691μW at 50MΩand 220μW at 35 MΩ,respectively.The outcomes of this work demonstrate the fusion of the ancient art of origami,material science,and energy conversion techniques to realize flexible,multifunctional,and water-proof TENG devices.