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Published on: September 19, 2020
Polarity-Engineered, Tribo-Positive Imidazolium-Mediated Crosslinked 6FDA-Durene Films for Triboelectric
Sorour Faramarzi1, Shabnam Yavari1, Ukiliaiym Ospanova2
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
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Expanding the library of polarity-engineered polymers is essential for enhancing performance and designing the flexibility of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Herein, we report a polyimide (PI) film derived from an imidazolium-mediated cross-linked 6FDA-durene polymer, with bromine anions as counterions, enabling surface polarity modulation and improved charge transfer. XPS and FT-IR analyses confirm the formation of imidazolium-mediated crosslinks in the 6FDA-durene polyimide, verifying the successful incorporation of ionic liquid groups into the polymer structure. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that imidazolium crosslinking shifts the HOMO upward by 1 eV, lowering the electron-transfer barrier and switching the triboelectric polarity from negative to positive. The fabricated TENG achieves a power density of 85.67 mW/m2 at 3 N and 3 Hz, lighting 81 LEDs and powering a calculator. The crosslinked material maintains stable performance over 64 800 cycles at 50°C, demonstrating thermal robustness. This polarity-tunable, thermally stable polymer is a promising candidate for transparent TENGs in displays, windows, pavements, and hybrid energy systems.
