High-performance triboelectric nanogenerators based on Ag-doped ZnO loaded electrospun PVDF nanofiber mats for energy harvesting and healthcare monitoring
Hema Malini Venkatesan, Anand Prabu Arun
Abstract
Abstract This study investigates the potential of zinc oxide (ZnO) and Ag-doped zinc oxide (Ag-ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) (1, 3 and 5 wt%) electrospun into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to harness electrical energy from ambient mechanical vibrations. ZnO and Ag-ZnO NPs were developed using a co-precipitation method. 3 wt% Ag-ZnO doping was optimized to exhibit a higher β -crystalline phase in PVDF (PAZ3). The electrospun ZnO and Ag-ZnO loaded PVDF nanofiber mats (NFMs) served as tribo-negative layer, while thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) served as tribo-positive layer in the TENG device fabrication. The electrical measurement results revealed that pristine PVDF/TPU-based TENG device exhibited lower performance ( V oc = 9.0 V and I sc = 0.6 µA) compared to the optimized PAZ3/TPU-based TENG ( V oc = 51 V and I sc = 1.2 µA), and utilized for concurrent applications such as powering over 10 light-emitting diodes, energy harvesting and healthcare monitoring applications. Overall, the study not only reveals the significant potential of PAZ3/TPU-based TENG for excellent output performance, but also provides a new insight into next-generation clean, affordable and sustainable energy harvesting materials.