Multifunctional poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ag nanofibers-based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered MXene/tungsten oxide nanohybrid NO2 gas sensor

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have broad application prospects in flexible electronics and self - powered sensing devices. In this paper, a poly(vinyl alcohol)/silver (PVA/Ag) nanofibers - based TENG was developed for human respiration, movement and harmful gas monitoring. The peak - to - peak value of open - circuit voltage and powered density from the wind - driven PVA/Ag - based TENG can reach up to 530 V and 359 mW/m 2 , respectively. Constant voltage output can be achieved at a large range of wind speeds (2.5–8 m/s) and humdity levels (30–65% RH) by integrating a voltage regulator module with the wind - driven TENG, which provides a feasible solution for the wind - driven TENG as a stable voltage source under different wind strength. The self - powered Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/WO 3 sensor driven by TENG has an excellent response (ΔUs/Us a = 510% @ 50 ppm) for NO 2 gas at room temperature, which is 15 times larger than that of the resistive MXene/WO 3 sensor. A multifunctional self - powered detection system was developed by integrating four TENGs with a gas sensor for detection of wind direction and wind - borne NO 2 , which can be used to trace the source of harmful gases. The wind - driven self - powered sensor system provides a sustainable and maintenance - free detection platform, which has great application potential in the field of environmental monitoring. • A wind-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ag nanofibers film was fabricated. • The PVA/Ag-based TENG was demonstrated for human respiration and movement stimulation monitoring. • A high-performance Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/tungsten oxide nanofibers-based NO 2 sensor was fabricated. • A multifunctional self-powered detection system was developed for detection of wind direction and wind-borne NO 2 .