Design of Electrode Materials for Stretchable Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), a recently emerging technology that is based on the combination of triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction, has been found to be a promising strategy to harvest large amount of underutilized and low-frequency mechanical energy. One major challenge for TENGs is that the practical application requires flexible, deformable, multifunctional materials to ensure its favorable accommodation to arbitrary surfaces or moving object or harsh environment. Recent research interests mainly focus on the design and fabrication of electrode materials for TENG, making it a perfect candidate for wearable power source. In this chapter, we will introduce a couple of recent achievements regarding highly flexible/deformable TENGs based on stretchable electrodes, including geometrically designed electrode, mixture of conductive materials with elastomeric materials and intrinsically stretchable electrode, etc. In addition, we will address stretchable and self-healing electrodes of flexible TENGs for potential wearable and implantable electronics.