Improvement in the output performance of polyethylene oxide-based triboelectric nanogenerators by introducing core–shell Ag@SiO2 particles

The development of self-powered technology in nano-energy puts forward higher requirements for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), in which it is necessary to further improve their output performance to broaden their scope of application, and environmentally friendly and sustainable development needs to be realized as well by the recycling of friction materials. The preparation of environmentally friendly and sustainable TENGs is reported in this work through a feasible and cost-effective solution casting method, in which polyethylene oxide (PEO) and Ecoflex were utilized as positive/negative friction materials, respectively. With introducing micron-sized core–shell Ag@SiO2 particles into the PEO matrix, micro–nano structures were constructed to increase the effective contact area, while the enhancement of dielectric properties was also achieved in the meantime. The Ag@SiO2–PEO/Ecoflex TENG with optimum particle content of 50 wt% produced a short-circuit current of 10 μA, an open-circuit voltage of 95 V, and a transfer charges of 35 nC at a frequency of 3 Hz. The maximum output power density of Ag@SiO2–PEO-50 wt%/Ecoflex TENG up to 1.5 W m−2 was reached under different load resistances. The stability and flexibility of TENGs were verified as well, which led to a novel approach for their application in wearable-flexible electronic devices. Additionally, the sustainable utilization of TENGs was achieved as a result of the water solubility of the PEO material, with significant output performance retention. This work provides an innovative approach for the further modification of the output performance of flexible and sustainable TENGs.