Mechanically and electrically robust, electro-spun PVDF/PMMA blend films for durable triboelectric nanogenerators

Electrospinning is an efficient and promising technique to prepare flexible, lightweight, electrical polarized nanofibrous for wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, the electro-spun films fail easily during the friction process due to the poor mechanical property. Herein, mechanically and electrically robust poly (vinylidene fluoride)/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PVDF/PMMA) blend film were prepared by electro-spinning methods. Owing to the hydrogen bonding formation by PMMA incorporation, the tensile strength of electro-spun PVDF/PMMA blend films achieve 4-fold enhancement compared with pure PVDF films. The opti-mized TENG based on the blend films exhibits a superior open-circuit voltage of 810 V, short-circuit current of 70 mu A and maximum peak power density of 13.8 W/m(2). Excellent outputs stability of the device with negligible fluctuations over 10,000 cycles is demonstrated. This work provides an effective approach of simultaneously optimizing the electrical property and mechanical property of triboelectric materials, further broadening the application of TENGs in daily life.

Automated summary

Electrospinning is an efficient method to prepare flexible nanofibers for wearable triboelectric nanogenerators. This study successfully improves the mechanical and electrical properties of electrospun films, leading to a stable and high-performance nanogenerator.