The joint team uses the principle of triboelectrification to generate triboelectric energy. Triboelectrification refers to the phenomenon that two different objects are charged due to friction, which is called triboelectrification (or the phenomenon that one object is positively charged and the other object is negatively charged after two different objects rub against each other).
In fact, triboelectrification is produced by rubbing two materials together, thus enhancing the contact between their surfaces. For example, when you insert a hair into your hair, this triboelectric phenomenon may occur.
On the basis of utilizing this phenomenon, a composite material called "Triboelectric Nanogenerator" (also called TENG) has been developed, which can be used to convert mechanical motion into electrical energy. Because of its small size, Teng can drive electronic devices through physical movements. The triboelectric layer is charged by the mechanical movement of the body (such as walking or running). This process converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, and then uses the electrical energy to charge electronic equipment.
Therefore, the all-fiber composite layer of triboelectric nano-generator (called EF-TENG) can be used in the garment manufacturing process, and the composite layer can be easily integrated into ordinary cloth to manufacture clothes that can generate electricity.
Triboelectric nano-generator material is not a brand-new technology. This material was first successfully developed by Academician Wang Zhonglin of China Academy of Sciences (20 12), and can collect and utilize the electric energy generated by friction and static electricity such as handshaking, walking and tides.
However, the traditional triboelectric nano-generator materials have some unpleasant characteristics, such as poor air permeability. In addition, their power generation and transmission efficiency is not high.
In order to solve these problems, the joint team adopted silver nanowires as electrodes and electrospun polystyrene nanofibers as charge storage layers on the basis of related technical research, which improved the properties of triboelectric nanogenerator materials, formed breathable antibacterial electrodes and electrostatic induction enhancement layers, achieved better performance and improved air permeability.
In addition, the charges accumulated on the surface of the original triboelectric nano-generator material will slowly drain or dissipate, thus reducing the output performance and surface charge density. Through the improvement of the joint team, polystyrene film is added to realize the stability of surface charge density.
The all-fiber composite nano-generator made of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride/nylon, silver nanowires and polystyrene can be easily integrated into conventional clothing, so that it can charge small electronic devices through daily exercise. The team demonstrated the performance of their new high-tech textiles by supplying power to 126 LEDs. However, the device still lacks enough output to charge devices that need more power.
Hiroaki Hiraoka Sakamoto, one of the authors of the joint team paper, said that because the new materials formed in this research are softer and more breathable, although this technology can only charge LEDs and small devices (such as calculators) at present, its material characteristics mean the possibility in the future. After being widely used, there will be great potential to collect static electricity from clothes.
All-fiber triboelectric nano-generator with improved output by polystyrene charge storage layer (nano-energy)