A PA66 lamellar crystal film with excellent triboelectric performance in vertical contact separation mode

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are gaining tremendous attention as an environmentally friendly technology that converts low-frequency mechanical energy into electrical energy. However, the output of TENGs is limited by the tribolayer material used. In this study, a unique lamellar crystal triboelectric nanogenerator (LC-TENG) that uses polyamide-66 (PA66) lamellar crystal spin-coated films as positive triboelectric layers and FEP films as negative triboelectric layers is presented. The large vertical interlocking nanosheet structure on the PA66 spin-coating film, incubated in solution, improves surface roughness and promotes charge storage capacity. Under a constant force of 10 N and a frequency of 2 Hz, the LC-TENG with dimensions of 3 cm × 3 cm can achieve a peak voltage and current of 153 V and 7.35 μA, respectively. With an external load resistance of ∼11 MΩ, the TENG's maximum power density is 0.67 W m⁻². The LC-TENG can easily harvest energy from human motions and light up a 36-LED array driven by a linear motor. Compared to TENGs using the initial smooth spin-coated film as the triboelectric electrode, the voltage and current from the lamellar structure film are 2.38 times and 2.17 times higher, respectively. This is the first time that a lamellar crystal structure has been introduced into friction material optimization, providing an efficient and feasible way to explore active sensor or electrode materials for self-powered electronic devices.