MXene/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Hybrids for Tribopiezoelectric Nanogenerators

Wearable portable electronic devices have become an indispensable part of the modern lifestyle because of their smart, convenient, and fashionable features. Fiber-based nanogenerators are generally used as energy supply systems in wearable portable electronic devices. In the present work, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) were used in triboelectric layers of hybrid tribopiezoelectric nanogenerators (HNGs). Twodimensional MXenes and one-dimensional multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) were used as conductive nano fillers introduced into electrospun nanofiber membranes. A 132 fold increase in the electrical power density of a PVDF nanofiberbased piezoelectric nanogenerator was observed under the synergistic effect of MXenes and MWCNTs-COOH. Finite element simulations were performed to determine the optimum values of the triboelectric layer thickness and spacing for HNGs, and an MXenes/MWCNTs-COOH/PVDF-PPLA-based HNG with a power density of 18.08 W m(-2) was constructed. We present a series of elaborations to demonstrate an effective way to improve the output performance of tribopiezoelectric nanogenerators. In addition, an HNGs-based wearable portable electronic device was fabricated to help humans interact with virtual reality.

Automated summary

This study utilized PVDF and PLLA in the triboelectric layers of hybrid nanogenerators, introduced MXenes and MWCNTs-COOH as conductive nano fillers, and performed finite element simulations to determine optimal parameters. A high power density HNG was constructed as a result. The study proposed an effective method to improve the output performance of tribopiezoelectric nanogenerators and fabricated a wearable portable electronic device based on HNGs for human interaction with virtual reality.