Enhancement of Energy Harvesting Performance via Synergic Effect of PVDF‐TrFE/MXene in Piezo‐Tribo Hybrid Nanogenerator

ABSTRACT

The development of effective self‐powered energy harvesters is essential for wearable technology. In this work, a high‐performance PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride‐TrFE (trifluoroethylene), abbreviated as PVDF‐TrFE) and MXene‐based flexible composite film was fabricated with improved electroactive behavior and self‐polarization effect. MXene was synthesized by chemical etching from the Ti ₃ AlC ₂ MAX phase, further added to the PVDF‐TrFE matrix at 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt.%. According to structural investigations, the surface functional groups of MXene enhanced β/γ crystalline phases and interfacial polarization, reaching a maximum crystallinity of 77% at 3 wt.% MXene. At this loading, FTIR confirmed a greater electroactive phase content that increases surface polarity and decreases the contact angle value of the composite. Superior dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric capabilities are demonstrated by the optimized 3 wt.% composite, which has a d ₃₃ value of 30.3 pm/V measured from PFM. The device, which was integrated as a hybrid piezoelectric‐triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), generated a maximum output voltage of ∼135 V and instantaneous power density of ∼125 µW cm ^{− 2} , rectifying ∼70 V to power up capacitors, LEDs, and calculators. In addition, the device can monitor daily human motion such as walking, jumping, running, etc., when the device is embedded below the shoe sole. The device has a force sensitivity of ∼26 V/N in the range of applied force varying from 1.5 to 4.2 N. This study demonstrated a viable approach for creating polymer‐based nanocomposites for wearable and sustainable energy‐harvesting applications.