Stretchable shape-adaptive liquid-solid interface nanogenerator enabled by in-situ charged nanocomposite membrane

Abstract

Wearable and portable electronics for water environment application are of paramount significance, however restricted by its power source component. It remains a great challenge to simultaneously achieve ultra stretchability and high electric output performance for most energy harvesters in water. Herein, we report a high-performance stretchable liquid-solid contact electrification-based nanogenerator (S-LSNG) that enables water wave energy harvesting and subtle motion monitoring in water by an in-situ charged nanocomposite membrane. Notably, the effectively charged PTFE nanoparticles (100 nm) in this novel membrane can highly promote the output of S-LSNG. For the first time, the excellent stretchability (tensile strain, 200%), high output performance (open-circuit voltage of 120 V and short-circuit current of 18 μA) and ultra-thin device structure (300 μm) were achieved simultaneously for a liquid-solid contact electrification-based nanogenerator. Besides, the output performance of S-LSNG barely changed even after 100000 submerging-emerging cycles. In addition, the application of motion monitoring for human body in water was also demonstrated, such as single finger motion sensing and complex motion sensing of multiple-fingers. Because of the excellent stretchability, output performance and durability, the S-LSNG would be extensively applied to a sustainable energy supplier for the stretchable and wearable electronics in water.