Surfactant-Mediated Porous MOF-5 for High-Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

In this study, high-performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are developed by incorporating porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into the device structure. The highly porous MOF-5 was prepared via a surfactant-mediated process, and was employed as the positive triboelectric layer of the 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 exhibits well-defined crystalline structures, enhanced porosity, and a high specific surface area of ~601.5 m2/g. Consequently, the TENG device derived from such a porous material achieved a short circuit current (ISC) of 100 µA, an open circuit voltage (VOC) of 250 V, and a maximum power output (Pmax) of 6250 µW. This TENG device also 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.