A critical review on the material aspects of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG)

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) take the advantage of coupling effect for harvesting energy in the area of electronics for various self-powered applications. These nanogenerators are capable of converting energy in our surroundings into electrical energy by using the process of electrostatic induction and contact electrification. Triboelectric layers of a TENG are formed basically with the use of various polymers, metals and other inorganic materials like PTFE (Poly tetra fluoro ethylene), PDMS (polydimethyl siloxane), FEP (Fluorinated ethylene propylene) and Kapton. Selection of different materials for the device fabrication is very important since it contribute towards the triboelectric effect and also forms the fundamental structure for the proposed TENG device. In this review article, we emphasis mainly on various triboelectric materials considering factors such as stability, flexibility, power density etc., to improve upon the electrical output of the devices for different applications.