A Sustainable and Flexible Microbrush-Faced Triboelectric Generator for Portable/Wearable Applications

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are put forward as a state-of-the-art energy-scavenging technology for self-powered electronics, but their severe wear and degradation driven by inevitable friction can pose significant durability and sustainability concerns. Here, an array of microfibers is reported that functions as a robust and sustainable TENG in both in-plane sliding and vertical contact-separation modes, with excellent electrical potential as high as 20 V and a high cyclability of 3000. The design flexibility of this microbrush TENG (MB-TENG) on the counter materials facilitates the further improvement of electrical outputs, benefiting numerous applications of human-interactive triboelectrification. Significantly, these MB-TENGs offer sufficient output power for successfully driving a smartwatch as well as an electromyography module. This technology uses a simple and cost-effective manner to provide a robust and reliable monolithic TENG module, which is expected to serve as a promising energy-harvesting source for self-powered electronics in the near future.