Bulk Schottky Junctions-Based Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerators to Power Backscatter Communications in Green 6G Networks

This work introduces a novel method to construct Schottky junctions to boost the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Perovskite barium zirconium titanate (BZT) core/metal silver shell nanoparticles are synthesized to be embedded into electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers before they are used as tribo-negative layers. The output power of TENGs with composite fiber mat exhibited >600% increase compared to that with neat polymer fiber mat. The best TENG achieved 1339 V in open-circuit voltage, 40 µA in short-circuit current and 47.9 W m⁻² in power density. The Schottky junctions increased charge carrier density in tribo-layers, ensuring a high charge transfer rate while keeping the content of conductive fillers low, thus avoiding charge loss and improving performance. These TENGs are utilized to power radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for backscatter communication (BackCom) systems, enabling ultra-massive connectivity in the 6G wireless networks and reducing information communications technology systems’ carbon footprint. Specifically, TENGs are used to provide an additional energy source to the passive tags. Results show that TENGs can boost power for BackCom and increase the communication range by 386%. This timely contribution offers a novel route for sustainable 6G applications by exploiting the expanded communication range of BackCom tags.