Patnam Harishkumarreddy, Graham Sontyana Adonijah, Manchi Punnarao, Paranjape Mandar Vasant, Yu Jae Su
Department of Electronics and Information Convergence Engineering, Institute for Wearable Convergence Electronics, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-Si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2023 Apr 5;15(13):16768-16777. doi: 10.1021/acsami.3c00386. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
Recent advancements in wearable electronic technology demand advanced power sources to be flexible, deformable, durable, and sustainable. An ionic-solution-modified conductive hydrogel-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has advantages in wearable devices. However, fabricating a conductive hydrogel with better mechanical and electrical properties is still a challenge. Herein, a simple approach is developed to insert ion-rich pores inside the hydrogel, followed by ionic solution soaking. The suggested ionic conductive hydrogel is obtained by cross-linking the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC), followed by soaking in the ionic solution. Furthermore, a flexible and shape-adaptable single-electrode TENG (S-TENG) is fabricated by combinations of ionic-solution-modified dual-cross-linked CMC/PVA hydrogel and silicone rubber. Additionally, the effects of the CMC concentration, type of ionic solution, and concentration of optimized ionic solutions on the hydrogel properties and S-TENG output performance are studied systematically. The well-dispersed CMC- and PVA-based hydrogel provides ion-rich pores with high ion migration, leading to enhanced conductivity. The fabricated S-TENG delivers maximum output performance in terms of voltage, current, and charge density of ∼584 V, 25 μA, and 120 μC/m, respectively. The rectified S-TENG-generated energy is used to charge capacitors and to power a portable electronic display. In addition to energy harvesting, the S-TENG is successfully demonstrated as a touch sensor that can automatically control the light and the speaker based on human motions. This investigation provides a deep insight into the influence of the hydrogel on the device performance and gives a guidance for designing and fabrication of highly flexible and stretchable TENGs.
可穿戴电子技术的最新进展要求先进的电源具备灵活性、可变形性、耐用性和可持续性。基于离子溶液改性导电水凝胶的摩擦纳米发电机（TENG）在可穿戴设备中具有优势。然而，制备具有更好机械和电学性能的导电水凝胶仍然是一项挑战。在此，开发了一种简单的方法，即在水凝胶内部插入富含离子的孔隙，然后进行离子溶液浸泡。通过将聚乙烯醇（PVA）水凝胶与羧甲基纤维素钠盐（CMC）交联，然后浸泡在离子溶液中，获得了所建议的离子导电水凝胶。此外，通过离子溶液改性的双交联CMC/PVA水凝胶与硅橡胶的组合，制备了一种柔性且形状适应性强的单电极TENG（S-TENG）。此外，系统研究了CMC浓度、离子溶液类型以及优化离子溶液浓度对水凝胶性能和S-TENG输出性能的影响。分散良好的基于CMC和PVA的水凝胶提供了具有高离子迁移率且富含离子的孔隙，从而提高了导电性。所制备的S-TENG在电压、电流和电荷密度方面分别提供了约584 V、25 μA和120 μC/m的最大输出性能。经整流的S-TENG产生的能量用于给电容器充电并为便携式电子显示器供电。除了能量收集外，S-TENG还成功地被证明是一种触摸传感器，能够根据人体运动自动控制灯光和扬声器。这项研究深入洞察了水凝胶对器件性能的影响，并为设计和制造高度柔性和可拉伸的TENG提供了指导。
