Synergistic Strategy of Oriented Structure and Nanofillers for High-Performance Triboelectric Composites in Harsh Environments

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are prone to invalidity in harsh conditions, which presents a critical challenge for wearable electronics. Herein, a chemical-resistant triboelectric material (OP/CM3), with a synergistic effect achieved by oriented structure (polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDF) and nanofiller (carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes, C-MWCNT), is constructed via high-speed electrospinning. The OP/CM3 exhibits outstanding triboelectric performance (105.21 V) and tensile strength (5.73 MPa) due to high β-phase content formed by mechanical stretching and hydrogen bond interactions, which are 1.49 and 3.18 times higher than those of the random PVDF/C-MWCNT. Meanwhile, the OP/CM3 self-extinguishes within 1 s after leaving the flame, which demonstrates excellent flame retardance. In addition, the open-circuit voltage of the OP/CM3-TENG maintains 46.12% at 200 °C and 16.43% after burning for 30 s and is higher than most flame-retardant triboelectric materials. Ultimately, the device not only outputs stable signals after being immersed in solutions of NaOH, ethyl acetate, and NaCl for 30 min but also triggers an alarm instantly at 200 °C and monitors firefighters’ real-time status. This work provides a method for synergistically enhancing triboelectric material properties, which expands its utilities in multiple harsh environments.