Nest-Inspired Nanosponge-Cu Woven Mesh Hybrid for Ultrastable and High-Power Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are known as one of the most effective technologies to harvest electricity from mechanical kinetic energy. However, the structural durability and electrical output stability of TENGs have been considered as important aspects for their practical application in harsh working environments. Inspired by a bird nest’s structure, we develop, for the first time, a hierarchically porous dielectric-electrode hybrid as functional tribo-electrification component for a TENG. The dielectric-electrode hybrid, composed of nanosponge poly(methyl methacrylate) supported by copper woven mesh (NP@Cu-mesh) is simply fabricated by a scalable one-step solution process and demonstrates several promising features including light weight, good flexibility, large surface area coupled with high mechanical robustness, as well as excellent humidity resistance and anticorrosion multifunctionality. The TENG device assembled with NP@Cu-mesh hybrid possesses a superior instantaneous power density of 13.9 W m-2 with output voltage of 560 V and current density of 5.6 μA cm-2, even when only a small compressive force of ∼8 N is applied. Moreover, the developed TENG device demonstrates exceptional structural durability and electrical output stability for over 25,000 cycles of contact-separation; furthermore, the device retains its high output performance in a wide range of humidity ambient or after being exposed to saline solution for several days. This work provides a newly and industrially compatible approach to produce a nature-inspired flexible TENG device with improved triboelectric output, long-term durability, and power generation reliability for various practical applications.