Toward self-powered inertial sensors enabled by triboelectric effect

With the arrival of the internet of things (IoTs) era, inertial sensors are considered to be essential components for inertial navigation, earthquake monitoring, troubleshooting of mechanical equipment, and more. To fulfill the requirements of self-powered inertial sensing, inertial sensors enabled by triboelectric effect have been proposed as an effective solution. In this review, an overview of development of triboelectric effect based inertial sensors is systematically presented. To thoroughly understand and rationally design triboelectric effect based inertial sensors, we first discuss the theoretical study and the structural design of triboelectric effect based inertial sensors. The fabrication of these inertial sensors is further discussed. Subsequently, critical output parameters of recent triboelectric effect based inertial sensors including sensitivity, linearity, detection range, mechanical shock survivability, and detection direction are summarized. And then, various applications of these sensors are summarized. Finally, based on recent progress, the superiority, existing challenges, and prospects for triboelectric effect based inertial sensors are outlined and discussed. This review will lead to a deeper understanding and exploration of triboelectric effect based inertial sensors for researchers and engineers.