A stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator made of silver-coated glass microspheres for human motion energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications

Wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have recently attracted great interest because they can convert human biomechanical energy into sustainable electricity. However, there is a need for improvement regarding the output performance and the complex fabrication of TENG devices. Here, a triboelectric nanogenerator in single-electrode mode is fabricated by a simple strategy, which involves a sandwich structure of silicone rubber and silver-coated glass microspheres (S-TENG). The S-TENG exhibits a remarkable performance in harvesting human motion energy and as flexible tactile sensor. By optimizing the device parameters and operating conditions, the maximum open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of the S-TENG can reach up to 370 V and 9.5 μA, respectively. The S-TENG with good stretchability (300%) can be produced in different shapes and placed on various parts of the body to harvest mechanical energy for charging capacitors and powering LED lights or scientific calculators. In addition, the good robustness of the S-TENG satisfies the needs of reliability for flexible tactile sensors in realizing human–machine interfaces. This work expands the potential application of S-TENGs from wearable electronics and smart sensing systems to real-time robotics control and virtual reality/augmented reality interactions.