Characterization of corona discharge treatment on PTFE surface for TENG applications

As for practical application of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), corona discharge treatment (CDT) is often utilized further to enhance its power outputs by injecting charges. We report compositional analysis and corresponding triboelectric outputs of Poly(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) based TENGs. PTFE and Al based TENGs with various PTFE film thickness are fabricated and their performances are measured with different CDT applied bias. XPS depth profile analysis reveals the relation of triboelectric outputs and depth of oxygen ions. Our discovery may give insight in the future development of high performance TENGs using CDT.

Automated summary

This study reports on the practical application of corona discharge treatment (CDT) to enhance the power outputs of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). The compositional analysis and triboelectric outputs of Poly(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) based TENGs are investigated. The relationship between triboelectric outputs and depth of oxygen ions is revealed through XPS depth profile analysis. This discovery provides insights for the future development of high performance TENGs using CDT.