An anti-freezing hydrogel based stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for biomechanical energy harvesting at sub-zero temperature. Issue 27 (3rd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bao, Dequan; Wen, Zhen; Shi, Jihong; Xie, Lingjie; Jiang, Hongxue; Jiang, Jinxing; Yang, Yanqin; Liao, Weiqiang; Sun, Xuhui
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 8:Issue 27(2020)
• Page Start: 13787
• Page End: 13794
• Publication Date: 2020-07-03
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ta03215h
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : An anti-freezing hydrogel based stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator have been synthesized for harvesting a large amplitude of human movement energy as an effective wearable power source at sub-zero temperature. Abstract : Stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been made available for a large amplitude of human body movement as an effective wearable power source. However, the elasticity and performance of such a kind of device seriously decline in a harsh environment, especially below sub-zero temperature. In this work, an anti-freezing hydrogel was synthesized by one-step radical polymerization of acrylamide monomer in hydroxyethyl cellulose aqueous solution. After adding LiCl into the hydrogel, it can be cooled to temperatures as low as −69 °C without freezing. The hydroxyethyl cellulose not only enhances the mechanical properties as a physical crosslinking agent but also provides water retention properties. With a constant elongation of ∼150%, the anti-freezing hydrogel based TENG (AH-TENG) has been successfully demonstrated to harvest human biomechanical energy to drive wearable electronic devices, even in a harsh ice and snow environment. At a fixed frequency of 2.5 Hz, an AH-TENG with a 3 × 3 cm 2 area achieved an output of 285 V, 15.5 μA, 90 nC and an instantaneous peak power density of 626 mW m −2, respectively. This work is anticipated to provide a promising approach for the advancement of flexible energy sources under harsh conditions.