Large-Scale and Flexible Self-Powered Triboelectric Tactile Sensing Array for Sensitive Robot Skin

AbstractThe development of a nation is deeply related to its energy consumption. 2D nanomaterials have become a spotlight for energy harvesting applications from the small-scale of low-power electronics to a large-scale for industry-level applications, such as self-powered sensor devices, environmental monitoring, and large-scale power generation. Scientists from around the world are working to utilize their engrossing properties to overcome the challenges in material selection and fabrication technologies for compact energy scavenging devices to replace batteries and traditional power sources. In this review, the variety of techniques for scavenging energies from sustainable sources such as solar, air, waste heat, and surrounding mechanical forces are discussed that exploit the fascinating properties of 2D nanomaterials. In addition, practical applications of these fabricated power generating devices and their performance as an alternative to conventional power supplies are discussed with the future pertinence to solve the energy problems in various fields and applications.

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Transparent and stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered tactile sensing

Nano Energy ◽

10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.02.054 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 59 ◽

pp. 302-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

Gengrui Zhao ◽

Yawen Zhang ◽

Nan Shi ◽

Zhirong Liu ◽

Xiaodi Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Tactile Sensing ◽

Self Powered

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Flexible High‐Resolution Triboelectric Sensor Array Based on Patterned Laser‐Induced Graphene for Self‐Powered Real‐Time Tactile Sensing

Advanced Functional Materials ◽

10.1002/adfm.202100709 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2100709 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhengguang Yan ◽

Liangliang Wang ◽

Yifan Xia ◽

Rendong Qiu ◽

Wenquan Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Real Time ◽

Sensor Array ◽

Tactile Sensing ◽

Self Powered

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Hierarchically patterned self-powered sensors for multifunctional tactile sensing

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abb9083 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (34) ◽

pp. eabb9083 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yang Wang ◽

Heting Wu ◽

Lin Xu ◽

Hainan Zhang ◽

Ya Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Fast Response ◽

Temperature Sensors ◽

Physical Contact ◽

Tactile Sensing ◽

Material Identification ◽

Flexible Sensors ◽

Temperature Stimulus ◽

Self Powered ◽

Multifunctional Sensor

Flexible sensors are highly desirable for tactile sensing and wearable devices. Previous researches of smart elements have focused on flexible pressure or temperature sensors. However, realizing material identification remains a challenge. Here, we report a multifunctional sensor composed of hydrophobic films and graphene/polydimethylsiloxane sponges. By engineering and optimizing sponges, the fabricated sensor exhibits a high-pressure sensitivity of >15.22 per kilopascal, a fast response time of <74 millisecond, and a high stability over >3000 cycles. In the case of temperature stimulus, the sensor exhibits a temperature-sensing resolution of 1 kelvin via the thermoelectric effect. The sensor can generate output voltage signals after physical contact with different flat materials based on contact-induced electrification. The corresponding signals can be, in turn, used to infer material properties. This multifunctional sensor is excellent in its low cost and material identification, which provides a design concept for meeting the challenges in functional electronics.

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Bioinspired Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Self‐Powered Electronic Skin for Robotic Tactile Sensing

Advanced Functional Materials ◽

10.1002/adfm.201907312 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 1907312 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Guo Yao ◽

Liang Xu ◽

Xiaowen Cheng ◽

Yangyang Li ◽

Xin Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tactile Sensing ◽

Electronic Skin ◽

Self Powered ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerators

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Magnetoelectric soft composites with a self-powered tactile sensing capacity

Nano Energy ◽

10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104391 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 69 ◽

pp. 104391 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xuan Zhang ◽

Jingwei Ai ◽

Zheng Ma ◽

Zhuolin Du ◽

Dezhi Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tactile Sensing ◽

Self Powered

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Rationally patterned electrode of direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators for ultrahigh effective surface charge density

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-20045-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhihao Zhao ◽

Yejing Dai ◽

Di Liu ◽

Linglin Zhou ◽

Shaoxin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Direct Current ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

Large Scale ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Electrode Structure ◽

Effective Surface ◽

Self Powered

AbstractAs a new-era of energy harvesting technology, the enhancement of triboelectric charge density of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is always crucial for its large-scale application on Internet of Things (IoTs) and artificial intelligence (AI). Here, a microstructure-designed direct-current TENG (MDC-TENG) with rationally patterned electrode structure is presented to enhance its effective surface charge density by increasing the efficiency of contact electrification. Thus, the MDC-TENG achieves a record high charge density of ~5.4 mC m−2, which is over 2-fold the state-of-art of AC-TENGs and over 10-fold compared to previous DC-TENGs. The MDC-TENG realizes both the miniaturized device and high output performance. Meanwhile, its effective charge density can be further improved as the device size increases. Our work not only provides a miniaturization strategy of TENG for the application in IoTs and AI as energy supply or self-powered sensor, but also presents a paradigm shift for large-scale energy harvesting by TENGs.

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Flexible self-powered textile formed by bridging photoactive and electrochemically active fiber electrodes

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c9ta04178h ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (24) ◽

pp. 14447-14454 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zhen Gao ◽

Peng Liu ◽

Xuemei Fu ◽

Limin Xu ◽

Yong Zuo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Systems ◽

Large Scale ◽

Scale Production ◽

The Past ◽

Active Fiber ◽

Large Scale Production ◽

Electrochemically Active ◽

Self Powered ◽

Integrated Power Systems

By bridging photoactive and electrochemically active fibers via warp yarns using an industrial loom, we realized desirable continuous and large-scale production of self-powered textiles, which have remained challenging in the past decade. This work possibly represents a new advancement for flexible integrated power systems via weaving.

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Mesoporous Highly-Deformable Composite Polymer for a Gapless Triboelectric Nanogenerator via a One-Step Metal Oxidation Process

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi9120656 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 656 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Hee Hwang ◽

Younghoon Lee ◽

Choongyeop Lee ◽

Youngsuk Nam ◽

Jinhyoung Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Pressure Sensitivity ◽

Composite Polymer ◽

Pdms Film ◽

One Step ◽

Self Powered ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerators ◽

Flake Structure

The oxidation of metal microparticles (MPs) in a polymer film yields a mesoporous highly-deformable composite polymer for enhancing performance and creating a gapless structure of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). This is a one-step scalable synthesis for developing large-scale, cost-effective, and light-weight mesoporous polymer composites. We demonstrate mesoporous aluminum oxide (Al2O3) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites with a nano-flake structure on the surface of Al2O3 MPs in pores. The porosity of mesoporous Al2O3-PDMS films reaches 71.35% as the concentration of Al MPs increases to 15%. As a result, the film capacitance is enhanced 1.8 times, and TENG output performance is 6.67-times greater at 33.3 kPa and 4 Hz. The pressure sensitivity of 6.71 V/kPa and 0.18 μA/kPa is determined under the pressure range of 5.5–33.3 kPa. Based on these structures, we apply mesoporous Al2O3-PDMS film to a gapless TENG structure and obtain a linear pressure sensitivity of 1.00 V/kPa and 0.02 μA/kPa, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate self-powered safety cushion sensors for monitoring human sitting position by using gapless TENGs, which are developed with a large-scale and highly-deformable mesoporous Al2O3-PDMS film with dimensions of 6 × 5 pixels (33 × 27 cm2).

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