Piezoelectric peptide-based nanogenerator enhanced by single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator

Vu Nguyen,Rusen Yang,Steve Kelly

doi:10.1063/1.4983701

Abstract

Peptide has recently been demonstrated as a sustainable and smart material for piezoelectric energy conversion. Although the power output was improved compared to other biomaterials, the use of a piezoelectric device alone can only capture the energy from the minute deformation in materials. In comparison, the triboelectric effect can convert mechanical energy from large motion. Consequently, utilizing both piezoelectric and triboelectric effects is of significant research interest due to their complementary energy conversion mechanisms. Here we demonstrated a hybrid nanogenerator that combined a peptide-based piezoelectric nanogenerator with a single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator. Our device structure enabled the voltage and current outputs of each individual type of nanogenerator to be superposed in the hybrid nanogenerator, producing overall constructive outputs. The design of our device also enabled a simplified configuration of hybrid nanogenerator. This study is important not only for the enhancement of peptide-based piezoelectric device but also for the future design of hybrid piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators.

Highlights

Piezoelectric bio-inspired materials have emerged as promising candidates for electromechanical energy conversion thanks to their biocompatibility, versatility, and mild synthesis processes.[1,2,3] Among them, diphenylalanine (FF) peptide has attracted increasing research interest due to its strong piezoelectric coefficient and the ability to produce parallel electrical dipoles.[2,4,5] the nanogenerator (NG) fabricated from FF peptide showed significant improvement in performance compared to other bio-inspired materials, new techniques to enhance the output are needed to expand its applications
While piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) converts the deformation of the piezoelectric material into electricity, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) converts relative motion into electricity through contact electrification and electrostatic induction.[10]
The available ambient mechanical energy can be provided to the NG in two forms, i.e., relative motion and material deformation, so it is advantageous to combine a TENG and PENG

Summary

Introduction

Piezoelectric bio-inspired materials have emerged as promising candidates for electromechanical energy conversion thanks to their biocompatibility, versatility, and mild synthesis processes.[1,2,3] Among them, diphenylalanine (FF) peptide has attracted increasing research interest due to its strong piezoelectric coefficient and the ability to produce parallel electrical dipoles.[2,4,5] the nanogenerator (NG) fabricated from FF peptide showed significant improvement in performance compared to other bio-inspired materials, new techniques to enhance the output are needed to expand its applications. We investigated the output enhancement of an FF-based PENG through hybridization with a single-electrode TENG. As Kapton moves back to contact but with no pressing force, current flows from the bottom to the top electrode (Figure 2(e)) and is negative.

Results

Conclusion