Thermal Stable Ceramics-Based Triboelectric Sensor

Abstract

Triboelectric sensors have emerged as a promising technology for self-powered sensing and energy harvesting, offering significant advantages in wearable electronics, health monitoring, and aerospace applications. Their ability to convert mechanical stimuli into electrical signals enables efficient battery-free sensor systems. Tantalate Y_1/6Yb_5/6TaO₄ (YYT) ceramics are generally applied in TBCs due to their high toughness and low thermal conductivity, but the electrical properties of YYT remain mainly unexplored. We incorporated yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to enhance the critical factors of the highest toughness (3.36 MPa m^1/2), lowest thermal conductivity (1.51 W m^–1 K^–1), and electricity performance (118.7 V). Furthermore, the toughening and the low thermal conductivity mechanism of YYT/YSZ composite ceramics were elucidated through observation of their microstructure. Finally, we fabricated a human motion monitoring device with P(VDF-TrFE) to demonstrate the feasibility of sensing. The major contribution of this study lays a functional and conceptual framework for the design of future aerospace sensors.