Transfer‐Printed Wrinkled PVDF‐Based Tactile Sensor‐Nanogenerator Bundle for Hybrid Piezoelectric‐Triboelectric Potential Generation

Abstract

Triboelectric sensors are known for their ultrahigh sensitivity and wide‐range detectability of tactile force/pressure, all while being self‐powered. However, the energy harvesting efficiency of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is often limited by relatively low output power density, when compared to other state‐of‐the‐art microgenerators. To address this challenge and achieve high force/pressure detection while maintaining excellent tactile resolution, a hybrid nanogenerator is proposed that comprises of both triboelectric and piezoelectric components within a ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix. To enhance tactile sensitivity, a coupled transfer printed‐spin coating technique is introduced to imprint wrinkled silicone structuring with tunable periodicity and amplitude directly onto PVDF. The hybrid output voltage of the wrinkled PVDF‐based TENG utilizing the ferroelectric β phase of PVDF (FE‐TENG_5) shows an impressive ≈200% increase compared to pristine FE‐TENG. The highest power density (0.9 mW cm−2) corresponds to FE‐TENG with the periodicity of 5 µm. Remarkably, the imprinted FE‐TENGs can detect even the slightest tactile force (<2 N), while the hybrid mechanism ensures a broad force sensing range, extending up to 100 N before saturation. This exceptional performance establishes the imprinted PVDF‐based FE‐TENG as a versatile tactile sensing platform for a range of cutting‐edge applications, particularly in electronic skin and next‐generation microelectronics.