Metallic MXenes: A new family of materials for flexible triboelectric nanogenerators

Wearable and flexible electronics warrant the development of self-powered devices to circumvent the limitations imposed by traditional energy storage devices. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that convert waste mechanical energy from human motion into electric power offer a solution. Highly electronegative and conducting TENG materials that support the generation of both large potential differences and high currents are imperative for effectively harvesting electric power from human muscle movements. Here, we demonstrate that two-dimensional MXenes (e.g., titanium carbide Ti3C2Tx, where T-x stands for surface functional groups such as -O, -OH, and -F) are a family of electrically conducting materials that are triboelectrically more negative than polytetrafluorethylene, or Teflon. Specifically, flexible MXene TENGs support both high open circuit voltages ranging from similar to 500 to similar to 650 V and an instantaneous peak power similar to 0.5-0.65 mW that could power > 60 light-emitting diodes or quickly charge a 1 mu F capacitor up to 50 V. Lastly, we demonstrate that flexible MXene TENGs are capable of harvesting electrical power from simple muscle movements (e.g., texting) even when the device is flexed by similar to 30 degrees suggesting facile integration with wearable electronics.