Enhanced output performance of tetraethyl orthosilicate and graphene nanoplates-decorated nanofiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators

Smart and self-powered electronic devices are becoming more popular but require more power. Therefore, we need to improve the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to supply enough power the electronic devices. This paper proposed an effective method to obtain high-output performance TENGs composed of polyvinyl butyral nanofibers decorated with additives paired with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber. Polyvinyl butyral decorated with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) significantly improves the output voltage, current, and power density of TENGs. A 5 × 5 cm2 TENG consisting of PVBT3 and PAN nanofiber has high output performance with a maximum peak output voltage of 810 V, a charge capacity of 198 nC, a maximum output current of 263 µA, and a maximum power density of 20 W/m2, which is almost six times as high as that of a PVB TENG (3.48 W/m2). The results show that the synergistic effect of TEOS and GNP and the structural property of TEOS and GNP-doped nanofiber tribomaterials fabricated via electrospinning improve the triboelectric output performance of TENGs. The nanofiber-based TENG is an eco- and user-friendly TENG with superior output performance. Therefore, it brings a new perspective to tribomaterials and is a promising solution for intelligent and self-powered electronic devices.