Self-Powered Wearable TENG Sensors Using NiCo2O4/ZnO Cofiller-Embedded Multilayered Electrospun Fiber-Mat for Human–Machine Interaction

Abstract

In the Internet of Things era, research is ramping up to develop sustainable green technologies to combat environmental degradation and the depletion of fossil fuels. A high-performance flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) has been developed and tested to fabricate wearable bioelectronics. The TENG device comprises two triboelectric layers: a stacked multilayered composite fiber-mat with poly(vinylidene difluoride) and a Super P carbon black intercalated textured Polydimethylsiloxane film. The device has been developed for potential applications such as green energy harvesting, which can scavenge energy from different low-frequency mechanical energy sources such as walking, running, ambient vibrations, etc. A maximum of ∼127 V open-circuit voltage and 9.4 μA short-circuit current are obtained for PNZ15 with 15% NiCo₂O₄/ZnO cofiller-loaded fiber-mat (PNZ15). A maximum power output of 710 W under 4 MΩ load resistance and a power density of ∼178 μW cm^–2 are achieved, which is ∼225% greater than that of PNZ0 with a bare fiber-mat. The quantity of dielectric filler significantly improves the output performance of the fabricated device. An assembled compact device with a surface area of 2 × 2 cm² can light up LEDs and drive small electronic gadgets. The synergistic outcome is mainly used as a sensor by integrating the fabricated device into wearable smart nanogadgets, which can be used for Human–Machine Interactions. The work is significant in self-powered wearable gadgets and biomechanical energy-harvesting technology. This work aims to provide strategies for synergistic outcomes of energy harvesting using the fabricated device.