Enhanced Charge Holding Capacity of PVDF Nanofiber Using NiO-CuO Nanoparticles-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Energy and Wearable Electronic Applications

Abstract

In triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), the main obstruction to the application as a sustainable energy source is their triboelectric loss. Therefore, it is necessary to develop TENGs with significant charge-holding capacity. This study introduced a TENG device using nickel oxide–copper oxide (NC) nanoparticles (NPs)-doped polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) electrospun nanofibers and nitrile gloves as tribonegative and tribopositive materials, respectively. The ratio and weight percentage of NC NPs on the PVDF surface are studied and optimized to improve the TENG performance. With the addition of 6 wt% 50:50 ratio of NC (NC55) NPs to the PVDF matrix, the negative surface static potential of the composite nanofiber (6PNC) attained a saturation value of −560 V after 6 h. This is 2.9 times higher than the surface static potential of the neat nanofiber (0PNC −190 V). Compared with the 0PNC TENG device, the optimized 6PNC device displayed 7.1-fold (57–408 V), 6.3-fold (1.6–10.2 µA), and 8.6-fold (17–147 nC) improvements in open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and surface charge, respectively. Finally, the device is used to charge various capacitors and illuminate 100 LEDs. It is operated effectively using low-power electronics and demonstrated considerable potential for use in smart wearable sensors.