Enhancing the triboelectricity of stretchable electrospun piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride/boron nitride nanosheets composite nanofibers

Abstract

Wearable electronic devices to be worn directly on the body or integrated in clothes need to be flexible, stretchable, biocompatible, and ideally self-powered. Electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) composite nanofibers are prepared and show piezo-triboelectric response under impact and tensile loading. Without further poling, adding 2 wt% of functionalized BNNSs to PVDF yields 500% enhancement in triboelectricity compared to the un-modified PVDF nanofibers. Analyses indicate that at 1.5 wt% and 2 wt% of BNNS concentration, 96% of the output voltage under impact of the piezo-triboelectric nanogenerator originates from the triboelectric contribution. The BNNSs have been shown to increase the charge trapping capability of the composite nanofiber layer and the surface roughness that relates to the significantly increased triboelectric output. The stretchable, durable piezo-triboelectric nanogenerator has potential as self-powered wearable sensors for human motion detection.