Triboelectrification of interface controlled by photothermal materials based on electron transfer

Abstract

The tribocharges generated by the friction of the polymer material are temporarily stored on the interface, which allows the triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to generate electrical output or produce electrostatic discharge on the polymer surface. Therefore, tribocharge regulation on the material surface is of considerable significance to improve the electrical output of TENGs or design new anti-static materials. A new method with universal applicability to control the triboelectrification of interface by photothermal materials is proposed in this study. In this method, the near-infrared (NIR) irradiation will cause the thermo electron emission of Fe3O4, thereby changing the charge amount on the PDMS surface. Results show that the surface potential of Fe3O4@PDMS is reduced by 76.8% after NIR excitation when the PDMS surface is positively charged. In addition, the surface potential increases by 42.9% when the surface of Fe3O4 is negatively charged, showing the opposite trend. Moreover, the friction coefficient of the polymer can be adjusted by modifying the surface triboelectricity to change its motion state. This strategy has many interesting applications, such as reducing the friction resistance of skis by reducing the surface charges or increasing the friction resistance by raising the charges on the surface of a car tire, thereby reducing the gliding distance during emergency braking.