Skin-Inspired Electret Nanogenerator with Self-Healing Abilities

Abstract

Summary Flexible electronics have been rapidly developed in recent years. However, there are still some concerns about the degradation and short life caused by mechanical damage during their operation. Here, we present a self-healing electret nanogenerator (SENG) that can restore its structure and function after mechanical damage, benefiting from a healable polymer with reversible imine bond and the instantaneous healing ability of liquid metal. After destructive testing comprising four cutting-healing cycles the output current of the SENG autonomously recovers to the original values before damage. Finally, as a practical device, the SENG is demonstrated to work in both energy harvesting and human physiology-monitoring applications. This research offers a feasible route for improving reliability and lifetime of electret generators or other flexible electronics that suffer from mechanical damage.