Double-Layer Electronegative Structure-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Enhanced Performance Using Combined Effect of Enhanced Charge Generation and Improved Charge Trapping

The performance of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device depends on the amount of generated surface charges during triboelectrification and the retention of surface charges. Here, we present the fabrication of a double-layer nanocomposite structure for the electronegative layer in a TENG, which resulted in the enhanced generation of surface charges and retention of generated charges. The double-layer structure is a stack of two different nanocomposite layers, in which the top layer is a nanocomposite of PVDF and MXene and the bottom layer is a nanocomposite layer of PDMS and NaNbO3 nanoparticles. The use of the double-layer structure for the electronegative layer enhanced the generated voltage to 150 V and the current to 4.3 μA, resulting in an output power density of 134 μW/cm2, which is ∼5.8 times higher compared to the performance of a TENG with a single PVDF electronegative layer. Through systematic Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements, it is shown that the introduction of a highly electronegative MXene in the PVDF matrix improved the electron affinity of the friction layer, resulting in enhanced charge generation during contact electrification. The introduction of NaNbO3 ferroelectric nanoparticles in the PDMS matrix is shown to result in enhanced internal polarization and increased trap sites, resulting in the retention of generated surface charges for longer durations. The combined effect of the two layers resulted in a substantial improvement in TENG performance. The application of the TENG device in wireless communication for signal transfer is also presented.