Integration of Flexible Supercapacitors with Triboelectric Nanogenerators: A Review

The ever-growing interest in wearable electronic devices has unleashed a strong demand for sustainable and flexible power sources that are represented by the combination of flexible energy harvesting with storage devices/technologies. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), which harvest mechanical energy and charge their matching supercapacitors (SCs), may form a distributed power system with flexibility to tap their potential applications in powering wearable electronic devices. This review aims to cover the recent progress in the integration of TENG with flexible SC in terms of operation principle, material selection, device configuration and power management, with an accent on the application scenario in flexible wearable electronics. Further, the current shortcomings, challenges and new prospects for future developments in the emerging field of integrated flexible TENG-SCs for self-powered wearable electronics are discussed.

Automated summary

The combination of flexible energy harvesting with storage devices/technologies has become increasingly important with the rising interest in wearable electronic devices. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) that harvest mechanical energy and charge supercapacitors (SCs) have the potential to power wearable electronic devices. This review discusses the recent progress in integrating TENG with flexible SC, including operation principle, material selection, device configuration, and power management, with a focus on applications in flexible wearable electronics. Additionally, the current challenges, shortcomings, and future prospects for integrated flexible TENG-SCs in self-powered wearable electronics are discussed.