An electrospun nanowire-based triboelectric nanogenerator and its application in a fully self-powered UV detector

A new kind of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is developed based on electrospun PVDF and nylon nanowires. This nanogenerator exhibits the remarkable characteristics of easy fabrication, low cost and high output. Its open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density respectively reach up to 1163 V and 11.5 mu A cm(-2) driven by the vibration with a triggering frequency of 5 Hz and an amplitude of 20 mm. The peak power density is 26.6 W m(-2). It directly powered a DC motor without an energy storage system for the first time. By harvesting energy from the environment using this TENG, a fully self-powered UVR detection device is developed to show the level of UVR directly without additional components.