Electrospun nanofiber based TENGs for wearable electronics and self-powered sensing

Abstract

There has been much recent interest in developing triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to scavenge freely available mechanical energy to address future requirements for clean and sustainable technologies. The macroscale performance of TENGs is determined by the multifaceted role of surface and material properties at the nanoscale, which must be understood for future TENG development. To achieve the desired TENG performance, various protocols for the fabrication and tuning of surfaces and materials are required. A particularly viable application area for TENGs is the energy source for relatively low powered wearable electronic sensors and devices via textile or fibrous TENGs. Therefore, this review focuses on recent advances in TENGs prepared by electrospinning from various material combinations and in terms of material design, function, and performance to obtain next generation nanofiber-based TENG devices. The remarkable physical and chemical characteristics of a wide range of electrospun nanostructured materials for achieving optimised TENG performance is discussed. Recent developments in electrospun TENGs for flexible and wearable electronics, and self-powered sensors are also discussed in detail.