Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Polyamide Composites Doped with 2D Graphitic Carbon Nitride

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted many researchers’ attention with their remarkable potential despite the fact that the practical implementation requires further improvement in their electric performance. In this work, a novel graphene phase two-dimension material, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), was employed for the development of a TENG material with enhanced features. An electrospun nanofibrous PA₆₆ membrane doped with g-C₃N₄ was fabricated as a multifunctional TENG for harvesting different kinds of mechanical energy and detecting human motions. By utilizing the innovative 2D material in PA₆₆ solution for electrospinning, the as-made TENG showed a two times enhancement in electrical performance as compared to the control device, and also had the advantages of lightweight, softness, high porosity, and rugged interface properties. The assembled TENG with 4 cm² could light up 40 light-emitting diodes by gentle hand clapping and power electronic watches or calculators with charging capacitors. At a given impact force of 40 N and 3 Hz, the as-made TENG can generate an open-circuit voltage of 80 V, short current of ±3 µA, charge transfer of 50 nC, and a maximum power density of 45 mW/m² at a load resistance of 500 MΩ. The UV light sensitivity of TENG was also improved via g-C₃N₄ doping, showing that charge transfer is very sensitive with a two times enhancement with dopant. For the demonstration of applications, the g-C₃N₄ doped TENG was fabricated into an energy flag to scavenge wind energy and sensor devices for detecting human motions.