Femtosecond laser spatial shaping of ZnO-PVDF microstructures for interfacial charge regulation enhancing...

Solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (SL-TENGs) have attracted attention for use in water resource collection. However, traditional methods limit improvements in the surface energy density of the friction layer because of insufficient precision. This study used femtosecond laser technology to create three-dimensional bionic structures on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films. Zinc oxide (ZnO) seeds were embedded at specific locations via liquid-phase processing, and ZnO nanostructures were grown via hydrothermal synthesis. The morphological changes under different laser energies and frequencies were studied. The morphology under different processing parameters is characterized and analyzed. SL-TENGs fabricated with different parameters showed a 1.88-fold increase in the average peak open circuit voltage (V_OC), presented 41.68 V, and a 10.52-fold increase in the average peak short circuit current (I_SC), which reached 256.37 μA. The maximum power density was 3.28 W/m², increasing by 7.45 times. The output performance was tested in different solutions, and SL-TENG was stable. This study introduced the regulation of the interface charge of ZnO-PVDF by femtosecond laser processing, enhanced the power generation effect of SL-TENG, and provided insights for future research.