A Flexible, Lightweight, and Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy Harvesting and Self‐Powered Sensing

Abstract

Abstract Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which collect the energy neglected constantly in the daily life of humans, have been applied to various fields, such as energy harvesting, self‐powered sensing, and environmental monitoring. With the growing demand for lightweight, flexible, and portable electric devices, TENGs have become a hot topic. In this work, a flexible, lightweight, and wearable TENG combining a nickel conductive mesh and a perfluorinated ethylene‐propylene film via the ultrasonic‐welding technique is presented. The TENG with an arch‐bridge shape is in possession of plenty of excellent properties, including high output, resistance to destruction, and long‐term stability, which not only owns a maximum power density of 36 mW m −2 at the optimal matching load impedance of 9 MΩ, but can also power a scientific calculator and 19 LEDs connected in series. Furthermore, the TENG could be used as a self‐powered sensor to remotely control the state of electric fans or bulbs through a wireless sensing system.