High‐Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator Derived from Surface‐Modified Carbon Dot/Poly(vinylidene Fluoride‐co‐Hexafluoropropylene) Nanocomposite Film

In the age of miniaturized and self‐powered wearable electronics, flexible nanogenerators play a pivotal role in energy harvesting and mechanical sensing applications. Here, the development of a cost‐effective, flexible, high‐performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) comprising carbon dot (CD) loaded self‐standing poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP) films is reported. A two‐fold strategy is introduced to enhance the performance of the TENG, where the surface modification of the film is achieved by employing the novel phase inversion method of film fabrication, and the electroactive phase of the film is optimized through optimum percentage loading of the nanofiller. 0.5 mL CD‐loaded PVDF‐HFP film (PC‐0.5‐PI), having the highest electroactive β‐phase, is used for the TENG fabrication. A sufficiently small amount of biomechanical force on the TENG device can generate up to 442 V of open‐circuit voltage with a power density of 5.4 W m −2 . The outcome of the TENG is confirmed by Kelvin probe force microscopy measurement of the composite film, which describes the theoretical open‐circuit voltage to be 476.5 V. The TENG device is also attached to the insole of a shoe and wirelessly integrated with an Android device for remote detection of various human movements.