Surfactant-mediated porous MOF-5 for high-performance triboelectric nanogenerators

Abstract

In this study, high-performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) were developed by incorporating porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) into the device structure. A highly porous MOF-5 was prepared via a surfactant-mediated solvothermal process and employed as the positive triboelectric layer in a TENG device. Several characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, were employed to investigate the structural and morphological properties and the influences of the surfactant. The surfactant-mediated MOF-5 (s-MOF-5) exhibited well-defined crystalline structures, enhanced porosity, and a high specific surface area of ∼601.5 m² g⁻¹. Consequently, the TENG device derived from such a porous material achieved a short circuit current (I_SC) of 100 µA, an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 250 V, and a maximum power output (P_max) of 6250 µW. Furthermore, the device demonstrated effective sensing function with outstanding sensitivity when used as a flexible pressure sensor, offering promising potential for self-powered sensing in applications such as human motion detection, personal healthcare monitoring, and electronic skins.