TY - JOUR
T1 - Thermally Stable and Shape-Adaptive Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Liquid Electrolytes with Low Vapor Pressure
AU - Weldemhret, Teklebrahan Gebrekrstos
AU - Debele, Nebiyou Tadesse
AU - Kedir, Sofonias Nursefa
AU - Reda, Alemtsehay Tesfay
AU - Kim, Dohyun
AU - Chung, Kwun Bum
AU - Park, Yong Tae
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2025/6/12
Y1 - 2025/6/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - energy harvesters
KW - liquid-triboelectric nanogenerators
KW - stretchable and deformable electronics
KW - tactile sensors
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105003708030
U2 - 10.1002/smll.202500318
DO - 10.1002/smll.202500318
M3 - Article
C2 - 40259780
AN - SCOPUS:105003708030
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 21
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 23
M1 - 2500318
ER -