Ultralight Iontronic Triboelectric Mechanoreceptor with High Specific Outputs for Epidermal Electronics

The pursuit to mimic skin exteroceptive ability has motivated the endeavors for epidermal artificial mechanoreceptors.Artificial mechanoreceptors are required to be highly sensitive to capture imperceptible skin deformations and preferably to be self-powered,breathable,lightweight and deformable to satisfy the prolonged wearing demands.It is still struggling to achieve these traits in single device,as it remains difficult to minimize device architecture without sacrificing the sensitivity or stability.In this article,we present an all-fiber iontronic triboelectric mechanoreceptor(ITM)to fully tackle these challenges,enabled by the high-output mechano-to-electrical energy conversion.The proposed ITM is ultralight,breathable and stretchable and is quite stable under various mechanical deformations.On the one hand,the ITM can achieve a superior instantaneous power density;on the other hand,the ITM shows excellent sensitivity serving as epidermal sensors.Precise health status monitoring is readily implemented by the ITM calibrating by detecting vital signals and physical activities of human bodies.The ITM can also realize acoustic-to-electrical conversion and distinguish voices from different people,and biometric application as a noise dosimeter is demonstrated.The ITM therefore is believed to open new sights in epidermal electronics and skin prosthesis fields.

Thermal-mechanical-electrical energy conversion system based on Curie effect and soft-contact rotary triboelectric nanogenerator

Untapped thermal energy,especially low-grade heat below 373 K from various sources,namely ambient,industries residual,and non-concentrated solar energy,is abundant and widely accessible.Despite that,there are huge constraints to recycle this valuable low-grade heat using the existing technologies due to the variability of thermal energy output and the small temperature difference between the heat source and environment.Here,a thermal-mechanical-electrical energy conversion(TMEc)system based on the Curie effect and the soft-contact rotary triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)is developed to recycle thermal energy in the mid-low temperature range.According to the phase transition mechanism between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic,disk-shaped ferromagnetic materials can realize stable rotation under external magnetic and thermal fields,thus activating the operation of TENGs and realizing the conversion of thermal energy and electrical energy.During the steady rotation process,an open-circuit voltage(VOC)of 173 V and a short-circuit current(ISC)of 1.32μA are measured.We finally obtained a maximum power of 4.45 mW in the actual working conditions,and it successfully charged different capacitors.This work provides a new method for mid-low temperature energy harvesting and thermal energy transformation and broadens the application of TENG in the field of thermal energy recovery.

Intelligent self-powered sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator for take-off status monitoring in the sport of triplejumping

In the era of big data and the Internet of Things,the digital information of athletes is particularly significant in sports competitions.Here,an intelligent self-powered take-off board sensor(TBS)based on triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)with a solid-wooden substrate is provided for precise detection of athletes’take-off status in the sport of triple-jumping,which is sufficient for triplejumping training judgment with a high accuracy of 1 mm.Meanwhile,a foul alarm system and a distance between the athlete’s foot and take-off line(GAP)measurement system are further developed to provide take-off data for athletes and referees.The induced charges are formed by the TBS during taking-off,and then the real-time exercise data is acquired and processed via the test program.This work presents a self-powered sports sensor for intelligent sports monitoring and promotes the application of TENG-based sensors in intelligent sports.

3D fully-enclosed triboelectric nanogenerator with bionic fish-like structure for harvesting hydrokinetic energy

The hydrokinetic energy of river current,as one of the essential and widespread renewable energies,is difficult to be harvested in low flow velocity and shallow water areas.In this work,a three-dimensional(3D)fully-enclosed triboelectric nanogenerator(FETENG)with bionic fish-like structure for harvesting hydrokinetic energy is reported,which is comprised of the triboelectric powergeneration unit,bionic fish-like structure and connection unit.Through the bionic structure,the FE-TENG realizes zero head power generation in shallow water with low flow velocity.What’s more,the effect of external excitations and bionic structures on the electrical performance are systematically studied in this work.The FE-TENG can generate peak power density of 7 and 0.36 W/m^(3)respectively under the simulated swing state with frequency of 1.25 Hz and simulated river current with flow velocity of 0.81 m/s.In practical applications,due to the 3D fully-enclosed design,the FE-TENG immersed in water for 35 days demonstrates excellent immersion durability with undiminished electrical performance.Therefore,the work proposes an efficient method realizing zero head power generation,and provides a good candidate for long-term service in the river current.

Triboelectric nanogenerator with mechanical switch and clamp circuit for low ripple output

For new renewable clean energy,triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)have shown great potential in response to the world energy crisis.Nevertheless,the alternating-current signal generated by a TENG needs to be converted into a direct-current signal to be effective in applications.Therefore,a power management circuit,comprising a clamp rectifier circuit and a mechanical switch,is proposed for the conversion and produces a signal having a low ripple coefficient.The power management circuit adopts a clamp circuit as the rectifier circuit to increase the rectified voltage,and reduces the loss resulted from the components by reducing the use of discrete components;the electronic switch in the buck regulator circuit is replaced with a mechanical switch to reduce cost and complexity.In a series of experiments,this power management circuit displayed a stable output voltage with a ripple voltage of 0.07 V,crest factor of 1.01,and ripple coefficient of 2.2%.The TENG provides a feasible method to generate stable electric energy and to supply power to low-consumption electronic devices.

A self-powered and concealed sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerators for cultural-relic anti-theft systems

The theft prevention for cultural relics in museums,field excavation sites,and temporary exhibition events is of extreme importance.However,traditional anti-theft technologies such as infrared monitoring and radio frequency identification are highly costly,power-consuming,and easy to break.Here,a transparent,ultrathin,and flexible triboelectric sensor(TUFS)with a simple and low-cost method is proposed.With a thickness,weight,and transmittance of 92μm,0.12 g,and 89.4%,the TUFS manifests superb concealment.Benefiting from the characteristic of triboelectric nanogenerators,the TUFS responds effectively to common cultural-relic materials.Moreover,distinguished electrical responses can be obtained even for very small weights(10 g)and areas(1 cm^(2)),proving the sensitivity and wide range of use of the TUFS.Finally,we construct a concealed cultural-relic anti-theft system that enables real-time alarming and accurate positioning of cultural relics,which is expected to strengthen the security level of the existing museum anti-theft systems.

High-voltage output triboelectric nanogenerator with DC/AC optimal combination method

The high-voltage power source is one of the important research directions of triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG).In this paper,a high-voltage output TENG(HVO-TENG)is proposed with direct current/alternating current(DC/AC)optimal combination method for wind energy harvesting.Through the optimal design of a direct current generation unit(DCGU)and an alternating current generation unit(ACGU),the HVO-TENG can produce DC voltage of 21.5 kV and AC voltage of 200 V,simultaneously.The HVOTENG can continuously illuminate more than 6,000 light emitting diodes(LEDs),which is enough to drive more possible applications of TENG.Besides,this paper explored application experiments on HVO-TENG.Demonstrative experiments indicate that the high-voltage DC output is used for producing ozone,while the AC output can light up ultraviolet(UV)LEDs.The HVOTENG can increase the ozone concentration(C)in an airtight container to 3 parts per million(ppm)after 7 h and continuously light up UV LEDs.All these demonstrations verify that the HVO-TENG has important guiding significance for designing high performance TENG.

Underwater Monitoring Networks Based on Cable-Structured Triboelectric Nanogenerators

The importance ofocean exploration and underwater monitoring is becoming vital,due to the abundant biological,mineral energy,and other resources in the ocean.Here,a self-powered underwater cable-based triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)is demonstrated for underwater monitoring of mechanical motion/triggering as wllas searching and rescuing inthe sea.Using a novel double-layer winding method combined with ferroelectric polarization,a self-powered cable-structured sensor with a stable electrical output has been manufactured,which can accurately respond to a variety of external mechanical stimuli.A self-powered cable sensing network woven using smart cables can comprehensively transmit information,such as the plane osition anddivedhofasumersbeMorereiely,can analyzeitsdrtionfmovemnt,seedand pathaong w transmiting information such as the submersible's size and momentum.The developed self-powered sensor based on the cable-based TENG not only has low cost and simple structure but also exhibits working accuracy and stability.Finally,the proposed work provides new ideas for future seabed exploration and ocean monitoring.