Self-powered Electronic Devices Research Articles

A rotational energy harvester utilizing an asymmetrically deformed piezoelectric transducer subjected only to unidirectional compressive stress

Energy harvesting using piezoelectric transduction offers a promising alternative to the conversion of kinetic energy like ambient vibration and rotational motion into useful electricity in self-powered electronic devices. To improve the reliability and effective bandwidth of rotational piezoelectric energy harvesters (RPEHs), a novel rotational energy harvester utilizing an asymmetrically deformed piezoelectric transducer excited by a magnetic attractive force is presented in this paper. Unlike the previous most RPEHs where piezoelectric elements experienced the symmetrical bidirectional strain, the presented piezoelectric transducer was only subjected to unidirectional compressive strain. It made the best use of the deformation characteristics of PZT vibrators where their allowable compressive stress was far greater than the allowable tensile stress, thus reducing the damage possibility of PZT vibrators under unexpected heavy loads. To prove the feasibility and explore the influence of the related structural parameters on the power generation performance, the theoretical analysis, simulation, fabrication and experiments were performed for the novel RPEH. The results showed that some parameters like the number ratio (α) and the rotary radius (R) of the exciting magnets brought a strong impact on the response characteristics of the presented RPEH. With the increasing rotary radius R, both the optimal rotating speed and effective bandwidth were decreased, whereas there were few studies on the effect of the rotary radius R of exiting force in previously reported RPEHs. In the case of rotary radius R = 60 mm, the maximum output voltage of 130 V with α = 0.5 was achieved. A maximum output power of 3.89 mW was obtained across 41 kΩ at the rotating speed of 856 r/min. It is expected this research can provide a beneficial reference for enhancing the reliability of existing RPEHs.

Organic tribovoltaic nanogenerator with electrically and mechanically tuned flexible semiconductor textile

Obtaining a wear-resistant, high-output, flexible direct current (DC) friction energy harvester is quite important for implementing self-powered portable electronic devices and Internet of Things (IoT). In this work, a direct current flexible textile organic tribovoltaic nanogenerator (FT-OTG) is reported, which is consisted of blended film of 11.11% poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) and 88.89% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a hydrophilic conductive ink, a hydrophobic conductive textile and Al slider. The working mechanism of OTG is that after absorbing friction energy, abound electron-hole pairs are excited at the metal-semiconductor interface. These carriers move directionally under the joint drive of electrostatic field and the built-in electric field to form a current. After PVA doping, the output performance of DC-OTG, including open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, is improved 5.6 times and 4.2 times, respectively. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of blended film, such as wear resistance, elongation and tensile strength, are improved, among which elongation at break is increased by 8 times and tensile strength increased by 3.2 times. By simplify series connecting, 3 FT-OTGs can constantly power portable electronics, like electronic watch, thermometer and calculator, respectively. This work provides an effective way for simultaneously enhanced output performance and mechanical properties of FT-OTG, which is expected to be a robust way for harvesting friction energy for self-powered electronics device and IoT sensors.

Green-in-green biohybrids as transient biotriboelectric nanogenerators

Green self-powered devices based on biodegradable materials have attracted widespread attention. Here, we propose the construction of the transient biotriboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) using green-in-green bionanocompoites. The green-in-green nanocomposites, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), are prepared with a high-pressure molding method. The CNC promotes the degradation and enhances the dielectric constant of CNC/PHB. It further allows for the significant improvement of the triboelectric output of CNC/PHB-based TENG. The voltage output and current output of CNC/PHB-based TENG are 5.7 and 12.5 times higher than those of pristine PHB-based TENG, respectively. Also, the bio-TENG exhibits admirable signal stability in over 20000 cycles. Despite the high hardness of CNC/PHB, a soft but simple-structured arch sensor is successfully assembled using CNC/PHB-based TENG. It can attain the precise real-time monitoring of various human motions. This study may provide new insights into the design/fabrication of green functional materials, and initiate the next wave of innovations in eco-friendly self-powered devices.

Self-powered silicon carbide ultraviolet photodetector via gold nanoparticle plasmons for sustainable optoelectronic applications

In recent years, it is becoming inevitable to design/construct eco-friendly sustainable electronic and photonic devices to minimize the footprints of these as part of the fight against global problems like resource depletion and pollution. To this end, scientists have been researching to produce sustainable, self-powered electronic and photonic devices capable of meeting the standards of consumers along with minimal adverse effects on the environment. In this study, we fabricated and analyzed a high-performance self-powered silicon carbide ultraviolet photodetector (SiC-UVPD) through functionalizing with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The effect of Au NPs on the improvement of the photodetector was systematically investigated. The self-powered SiC-UVPD exhibited a very good responsitivity of 0.30 A W−1 and a detectivity of 7.0 × 1011 cm.Hz1/2.W−1 under 254 nm wavelength UV light irradiation without any external power. The photodetector also provided quick responses to incident UV light with 28 ms rise time and 88 ms fall time. To sum up, the performance of the fabricated self-powered SiC-UVPD shows that SiC-UVPDs can offer new solutions for high performance emerging sustainable energy and eco-friendly optoelectronic devices.

Automated electromagnetic generator with self-adaptive structure by coil switching

Self-powered electronic devices have been widely sought after in the last few years demanding efficient harvesting of locally available forms of energy. Electromagnetic generators are suitable contenders for powering both small-scale and large-scale devices due to their widespread availability and customizability. New promising magnet levitation architectures for mechanical vibration energy harvesting offer low production and maintenance costs, as well as a wide array of designs. They also exhibit complex non-linear and hysteretic resonant behaviors. Nonetheless, their performance is typically optimized towards external excitations with very specific characteristics. In this study, we theoretically and experimentally prove the concept of an instrumented self-adaptive levitation generator with on/off coil switching employing an accelerometer, transmission gate switches and a processing system. This adaptable system is able to periodically turn off coils not contributing to the generated electromotive forces for certain frequencies and amplitudes of the input excitations. Taking the power consumption of instrumentation into account, power gains up to ≈ 26% were achieved for harmonic inputs with randomly time changing frequencies and amplitudes. Using a prototype generator with 140.7 cm3, output average powers of up to 1.79 W (i.e., 12.7 kW/m3) were extracted for optimal electrical loads under non-linear resonant conditions. Significant increases in electric power efficiencies were achieved as well. These promising results should pave the way towards intelligent self-adapting energy generators.

Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Semiconductor Structure

With the rapid development of technology and the expansion of the information age, self-powered systems are gradually emerging. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), coupling contact electrification and electrostatic induction, can realize continuous power supplied for small devices by converting energy. Traditional TENGs mainly used organic polymer insulators as triboelectric materials, which are limited by low current density alternating current. Recently, many different semiconductor material systems, especially gallium nitride (GaN), have been tried for better electric output performance or more application potential due to their high current density direct current, which can improve the output performance and mechanical properties of TENGs and have important application value at the forefront of portable electronic devices, Internet of things, environmental and infrastructural monitoring, medical science, security, and other fields. In this review, we summarize the latest research achievements and progress on TENGs with different semiconductor structures, including metal–semiconductor TENGs, semiconductor–semiconductor TENGs, metal–insulator–semiconductor TENGs, and liquid–semiconductor TENGs. On the basis of the current TENG theory of tribovoltaic effect, the generation mechanism and performance of each TENG was represented. Direct-current TENGs based on semiconductor structure show great promise for self-powered electronic devices.

ZnO@Ag modified piezoelectric fibers for higher sensitivity and enhanced energy harvesting

Piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based piezoelectric materials are good candidates for energy harvesting devices and sensing systems. Improving the piezoelectric sensitivity of the electro-spun PVDF fibers is still challenging and highly desirable. In this work, ZnO@Ag nanoparticles were synthesized and utilized as surface modifier to generate a hierarchical structure on the fiber surfaces to construct a flexible and piezoelectric three-phase coupling sensor. The effects of the atomic ratio of Ag:ZnO, surface morphology and particle concentration of ZnO@Ag nanoparticles on the β-phase content, piezoelectricity, wettability and mechanical stability of the sensor device were systematically investigated. The elastic modulus of ZnO@Ag/PVDF membrane is 0.01322 GPa, which is close to that of human skin 0.0188 GPa. Due to synergistic effect of the enhanced electrostatic field polarization and surface hierarchical structure, the ZnO@Ag/PVDF piezoelectricity sensor possessed voltage and current outputs of 15.0 Vpp and 1.775 μA respectively, which were 3.5 and 5.4 times higher than pure PVDF-based sensor. The sensitivity of the ZnO@Ag/PVDF nanofiber-based sensor was 2.422 V/kPa, which was 14.4 times higher than that of pure PVDF-based sensor. The sensor has a fast response/recovery time of 30/45 ms. The sensor can accurately detect various physiological strain signals such as cantilever oscillatory excitation, finger press, or walking behavior, and can light-up several light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and charge a capacitor (20 μF) in a short period (2.41 V in 5 Sec). This fiber-based energy harvesting and pressure sensor demonstrates promising applications in self-powered flexible wearable electronic devices in healthcare and home-care fields.

Magnetostrictive biomechanical energy harvester with a hybrid force amplifier

Vibrating energy harvesters, capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, have attracted unprecedented interest in both academia and industry because of their great potential for harvesting energy induced by human activity and energy around the body, and to drive low-power wearable biosensors and electronics, micro-robots, and implantable biomedical devices. In this paper, based on the magnetostrictive inverse effect, we propose a magnetostrictive vibration harvester using Terfenol-D, which generates electrical energy when subjected to human movement. A hybrid force amplification frame is integrated in this harvester to amplify weak biological movements. The detailed mathematical model of the multi-stage force amplification process is established, the hybrid force amplifier is also designed in detail, and its structural dimensions are optimized. The position and form of the bias magnetic field arrangement based on the Terfenol-D harvester is systematically analyzed. The experiment shows that 4.13 V peak voltage and 426.4 mW peak power are generated when the harvester is fully compressed. The output power is 213.16 mW and 371.43 mW at an average acceleration of 2.5 g for slow walking and 4 g for jogging, respectively. The results of this study suggest that the combination of rod Terfenol-D and force amplification mechanisms can be used to design bio-vibrational energy harvester with excellent performance, which is especially suitable for self-powered wearable electronic devices.

Photomechaelectric nanogenerator

<h2>Summary</h2> Metal and inorganic or organic conjugate semiconductors can convert solar energy into electricity through the well-known external photoelectric effect and internal photovoltaic effect, respectively. The photoelectric effect cannot be detected in electron-insulated polymers due to a lack of free electrons or the redistribution of holes and electrons under illumination. Here, we report a subtle method to efficiently convert UV-light energy into electricity for electron-insulated co-polymers via a photomechaelectric (PME) effect, in which a PME effect means that photo induces isomerization of photosensitive segments and further results in generating dynamic dipoles and equal amounts, but opposite signs, of induced charges at electrodes. To this aim, functional azobenzene (AZO) and imidazole ionic liquid (ILO) oligomers have been used as photoisomer and dipole units, respectively. The produced electron-insulated AZO-<i>co</i>-ILO co-polymer-based nanogenerator can directly output an alternating current (up to 5.8 V and 247 μA) under UV illumination, implying extensive potential applications in self-powered electronic devices.

Processing of hybrid shape memory alloy coupled with P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric polymer composite for energy harvesting application

Small-scale energy harvesting to power self-powered electronic devices is tremendously increasing. In this context, the ability to combine thermal and mechanical energy harvesting using smart materials deserves more attention for further study. We have presented the feasibility of using P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric polymer coupled with NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) to harvest both mechanical and thermal energy in simple scalable devices. A novel hybrid composite consisting of SMA, and P(VDF-TrFE) has been developed without any complex composites or patterned structures, which couples the piezoelectric effect of the poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and the shape memory effects of NiTi SMA. We have also fabricated a multi-layer SMA/PEN/P(VDF-TrFE) device using epoxy as an interface and bonding layer. During bending, the P(VDF-TrFE) device with an active area of 3.68 cm2 generated an output voltage of 8 V and an output power of 6.25 µW. When coupled with NiTi SMA to create a hybrid composite thermoelectric material, the device can convert the phase change associated with SMA, and thus thermal energy is converted to mechanical energy and finally into electrical energy. The SMA/P(VDF-TrFE) hybrid composite produced an output voltage of ∼2 V for one cyclic heating and cooling of the device. This is a promising approach for the further development of coupled hybrid energy harvester devices for the powering of small-scale electronic devices such as sensors, MEMS, or biomedical devices.

Highly ordered asymmetric cellulose-based honeycomb membrane for moisture-electricity generation and humidity sensing

Moisture-trigged electricity generator (MEG) that can convert ubiquitous moisture into electricity are highly desirable for developing renewable energy supply and ameliorating the crisis in energy. Constructing an asymmetric ordered, namely gradient ordered porous membrane has great potential in MEG. Herein, a series of cellulose acetate (CA)-based membranes with ordered asymmetric honeycomb membranes were fabricated by Breath Figure method, along with silver nanowires (AgNWs) coating. The asymmetric gradient honeycomb pores were achieved by graft modification of lauroyl chloride and adjustment of relative humidity, which not only endowed the MEG with sensitive sensing signals transport under tension and humidity fluctuations but also enhanced voltages generation speed under flowing moisture. The current study provides a facile and scalable strategy for constructing asymmetric gradient ordered porous materials and creates more possibilities for MEG self-powered flexible wearable electronic devices.

Laser-carbonized MXene/ZiF-67 nanocomposite as an intermediate layer for boosting the output performance of fabric-based triboelectric nanogenerator

The investigation of efficient research approaches to boost the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is crucial in extending their practical use in daily life. In this study, a laser-carbonized (LC) MXene/ZiF-67 nanocomposite-based intermediate layer is introduced to achieve outstanding output performance in both contact and non-contact mode (CNM) TENGs. The porous structure of the LC-MXene/ZiF-67 nanocomposite layer contains a high charge density, thereby enabling the surface charges to be conserved for longer periods, and simultaneously increasing the surface potential. Different ratios of MXene/ZiF-67, laser powers, and laser speeds were explored and optimized to improve the output performance of the CNM-TENG. Under optimal conditions, the intermediate and charge generating layer significantly enhanced the contact-TENG output power density of 65 W/m2 at a load resistance of 1.3 MΩ. In addition, the noncontact TENG provided a high charge density of 15.3 µC/m2 and stable output performance at a distance of 2 cm. Finally, demonstrations of the optimized CNM-TENG-based human gait analysis, automobile vehicles, smart robots were presented to enable obstacle detection and human motion alerts, touchless wearable keyboards for security, and self-powered electronic devices. The findings of this study offer an innovative and effective strategy for designing devices with excellent performance for use in self-powered electronic devices and sensing systems.

Composite film with hollow hierarchical silica/perfluoropolyether filler and surface etching for performance enhanced triboelectric nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), capable of harvesting distributed energy from the environment, have provided a viable solution for self-powered wearable electronics. However, their low power density and susceptibility to contamination still severely limit their practical application. Herein, we reported a “two-step” strategy to implement a waterproof self-powered wearable electronic device based on TENG. Firstly, Perfluoropolyether (PF) and hollow hierarchical silica (H-SiO2) as fillers significantly improve the dielectric properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite films (PFS films) through polarization effect. Then the nano bumps of 10–30 nm are created on the surface of the films by surface etching, the bumps can increase the contact area of TENG. The voltage of TENG is improved from ∼ 67 V to ∼ 910 V and the current is improved from ∼ 1 μA to ∼ 25 μA. What’s more, the investigation of the surface structure of the PFS composite films by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) revealed that the synergistic combination of multiple nanoscales (10–30 nm, 60–80 nm, 300–500 nm) is more favorable to achieve high performance of TENG. The surface structure composed of multiple nanoscales endows PFS with excellent superhydrophobicity. The PFS films remained fine performance after 40,000 drops of water and 90 days. This work achieves high performance and water resistance of TENG, demonstrating great potential in the field of self-powered wearable electronic devices.

Electrospun PVDF/Cloisite-30B and PVDF/BaTio3/graphene nanofiber mats for development of nanogenerators

The research work mainly focusses on the preparation of nanogenerators based on PVDF/Cloisite-30B and PVDF/BaTiO3/Graphene polymer nano composites using electrospinning technique. The process parameters were designed and optimized by applying Taguchi's Design of Experiments with L4 array. Morphology of the polymer composites were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopic images. β-phase Crystallinity of PVDF/Cloisite-30B and PVDF/BaTiO3/Graphene was 85% and 80% respectively when it is estimated using FTIIR spectroscopic technique. The nanogenerator with PVDF/BaTiO3/Graphene produced 3.65 V and the same was 3.5 V in case of PVDF/Cloisite-30B nano composites. Better crystallinity was observed in PVDF/Cloisite-30B fiber mats but improved sensitivity of PVDF/BaTiO3/Graphene resulted in slight enhancement of output voltage. The result indicates the ability of polymer composites as nanogenerator for development of wearable self-powered electronic devices for smart sensing applications.

Self-Healable and Stretchable Ionic-Liquid-Based Thermoelectric Composites with High Ionic Seebeck Coefficient.

The advancement of wearable electronics, particularly self-powered wearable electronic devices, necessitates the development of efficient energy conversion technologies with flexible mechanical properties. Recently, ionic thermoelectric (TE) materials have attracted great attention because of their enormous thermopower, which can operate capacitors or supercapacitors by harvesting low-grade heat. This study presents self-healable, stretchable, and flexible ionic TE composites comprising an ionic liquid (IL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (EMIM:OTf); a polymer matrix, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP); and a fluoro-surfactant (FS). The self-healability of the IL-based composites originates from dynamic ion-dipole interactions between the IL, the PVDF-HFP, and the FS. The composites demonstrate excellent ionic TE properties with an ionic Seebeck coefficient (Si ) of ≈38.3mVK-1 and an ionic figure of merit of ZTi =2.34at 90% relative humidity, which are higher than the values reported for other IL-based TE materials. The IL-based ionic TE composites developed in this study can maintain excellent ionic TE properties under harsh conditions, including severe strain (75%) and multiple cutting-healing cycles.

Lead-free PDMS/PPy based low-cost wearable piezoelectric nanogenerator for self-powered pulse pressure sensor application

Self-powered biocompatible electronic devices to detect vital physiological signals of the human body are in great demand in wearable applications. In this work, a low-cost polydimethylsiloxane/polypyrrole composite polymer film-based piezoelectric nanogenerator is fabricated and utilized as a self-powered arterial pulse pressure sensor. XRD and Raman analysis are used to confirm the crystal structural orientation and chemical composition of composite polymer, respectively. Uniform and crack-free morphology of PDMS/PPy composite polymer film is confirmed via Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, while Energy Dispersive X-Ray is used to study the elemental analysis of composite polymer film, which confirms that there is no extra impurity present in the system. A flexible and robust piezoelectric nanogenerator with device configuration of Al coated PET/(PDMS: PPy)/ ITO coated PET is fabricated that gives an output voltage of 12 V and current density of 0.11 µA/cm2 when 1.47 N/cm2pressure is applied. The biocompatible nanogenerator as a self-powered pulse sensor is demonstrated, thus proving its potential for developing versatile self-powered systems useful in biomedical applications.

High Interfacial Thermal Stability of Flexible Flake-Structured Aluminum Thin-Film Electrodes for Bi2Te3-Based Thermoelectric Devices.

Environmental thermal energy harvesting based on thermoelectric devices is greatly significant to the advancement of next-generation self-powered wearable electronic devices. However, the rigid electrodes and interface diffusion of electrodes/thermoelectric materials would lead to the wearable discomfort and performance degradation of the thermoelectric device. Here, a flake-structured Al thin-film electrode with high conductivity and excellent reliability is prepared by regulating the microstructure and crystallinity of the films. The as-prepared Al thin film not only maintains its robustness after 1000 bending cycles but also does not delaminate from the substrate when subjected to the 3M tape test, exhibiting excellent flexibility and adhesion to substrate. By comparing with the annealed interface of the double-layer Cu/Bi2Te3 film, the interface of the heat-treated Al/Bi2Te3 film has almost no element diffusion, demonstrating high interfacial thermal stability. Moreover, a thermoelectric temperature sensor based on the Al thin-film electrode is prepared. The sensitivity of the annealed sensor is still linear, and it can stably monitor the temperature variation, showing high reliability. This discovery could provide a facile and effective strategy to achieving highly reliable thermoelectric devices and flexible electronic devices without any additional diffusion barriers.

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Surface Polarization Enhancement for Liquid-Solid Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Its Application.

Liquid-solid triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been great attention as a promising electricity generation method for renewable energy sources and self-powered electronic devices. Thus, enhancing TENG performance is a critical issue to be concerned for both practical and industrial applications. Hence in this study, a high-output liquid-solid TENG is proposed using a polyvinylidene fluoride surface polarization enhancement (PSPE) for self-powered streamflow sensing, which shows many advantages, such as adapt to the sensor energy requirement, multiple parameters sensing at the same time, eliminate the influence of ion concentration. The TENG based on PSPE film has the maximum power density of 15.6 mW/m2, which is increased by about 4.7 times compared to commercial PVDF-based TENG. This could be attributed to the increase of the dielectric constant and hydrophobic property of the PVDF film after the surface polarization enhancement process. Furthermore, the PSPE-TENG-driven sensor can simultaneously monitor both the physical and chemical parameters of the streamflow with high sensitivity and minimum error detection, which proves that the PSPE-TENG has enormous potential applications in self-powered streamflow sensing.

Revealing the superlative electrochemical properties of o-B2N2 monolayer in Lithium/Sodium-ion batteries

Promising flexible electrochemical energy storage systems (EESSs) are currently drawing considerable attention for their tremendous prospective end-use in portable self-powered electronic devices, including roll-up displays, and “smart” garments outfitted with piezoelectric patches to harvest energy from body movement. However, the lack of suitable battery electrodes that provides a specific electrochemical performance has made further development of these technologies challenging. Two-dimensional (2D) lightweight and flexible materials with outstanding physical and chemical properties, including mechanical strengths, hydrophilic surfaces, high surface metal diffusivity, and good conductivity, have been identified as a potential prospect for battery electrodes. In this study, taking a new 2D boron nitride allotrope, namely 2D orthorhombic diboron dinitride monolayer (o-B2N2) as representatives, we systematically explored several influencing factors, including electronic, mechanical, and their electrochemical properties (e.g., binding strength, ionic mobility, equilibrium voltage, and theoretical capacity). Considering potential charge-transfer polarization, we employed a charged electrode model to simulate ionic mobility and found ionic mobility has a unique dependence on the surface atomic configuration influenced by bond length, valence electron number, electrical conductivity, excellent ionic mobility, low equilibrium voltage with excellent stability, good flexibility, and extremely superior theoretical capacity, up to 8.7 times higher than that of widely commercialized graphite (3239.74 mAh g−1 Vs 372 mAh g−1) in case of Li-ion batteries and 2159.83 mAh g−1 in case of Na-ion batteries, indicating that the new predicted 2D o-B2N2 monolayer possess the capability to be ideal flexible anode materials for Lithium and Sodium-ion battery. Our finding provides valuable insights for experimental explorations of flexible anode candidates based on 2D o-B2N2 monolayer.

A novel ZnS nanosheets-based triboelectric nanogenerator and its applications in sensing, self-powered electronics, and digital systems

The development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on inexpensive inorganic materials has attracted significant attention to envisage next-generation self-powered electronic devices and sensors. In this research work, the fabrication of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on ZnS nanosheets arrays was investigated for the first time. This TENG was fabricated with ZnS nanosheets films, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as active tribo-layers. The originality of this work lies in the choice of materials; pure ZnS nanosheets and PDMS-Al cover foils. By hand excitation force, the developed TENG (5 ×5 cm2) produced an output voltage and a short-circuit current of ~8 V and ~7.12 µA respectively. In addition, the present TENG with pure ZnS nanosheets on Al substrate produced an output voltage almost twice than TENG that involved only Al substrate. In this current study, introducing ZnS nanosheets on Al substrate increased the surface area and roughness, resulting in improved performance. The study of TENG parameters confirms that the TENG (10 ×10 cm2) with 2 cm spacing between tribo layers, applied force frequency of ~ 4–5 Hz were optimum to obtain the maximum output voltage of ~33 V. The high stability of TENG was confirmed by testing TENG response over 1000 cycles. Further, TENG was used to power portable electronic devices such as a digital watch, thermometer, calculator, and 64 LEDs when coupled to a capacitor. Finally, TENG was demonstrated for sensing force and pressure, TENG output response was used as a clock pulse for the digital circuits. The proposed TENG is easy to handle, simple and economical, and ZnS-based TENG's performance can be improved using other tribo-materials instead of PDMS.