Tribotronics for Active Mechanosensation and Self-Powered Microsystems

Tribotronics has attracted great attention as a new research field that encompasses the control and tuning of semiconductor transport by triboelectricity. Here, tribotronics is reviewed in terms of active mechanosensation and human-machine interfacing. As a fundamental unit, contact electrification field-effect transistors are analyzed, in which the triboelectric potential can be used to control electrical transport in semiconductors. Several tribotronic functional devices have been developed for active control and information sensing, which has demonstrated triboelectricity-controlled electronics and established active mechanosensation for the external environment. In addition, the universal triboelectric power management strategy and the triboelectric nanogenerator-based constant sources are also reviewed, in which triboelectricity can be managed by electronics in the reverse action. With the implantation of triboelectric power management modules, the harvested triboelectricity by various kinds of human kinetic and environmental mechanical energy can be effectively managed as a power supply for self-powered microsystems. In terms of the research prospects for interactions between triboelectricity and semiconductors, tribotronics is expected to demonstrate significant impact and potential applications in micro-electro-mechanical systems/nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), flexible electronics, robotics, wireless sensor network, and Internet of Things.