Synergistic Effect of Dual Surface Modified Ecoflex Polymer for Dynamic Triboelectric Nanogenerator Towards Sustainable Battery‐Free Tally Counter

Abstract

AbstractTriboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) scavenge electricity from low‐frequency mechanical motions. This study proposes a simple and cost‐effective method to synthesize a dual‐surface modified Ecoflex polymer (SME Sponge) with a porous inner structure and micro pyramidal projections on its surface. An Ecoflex‐Aluminum‐based contact separation triboelectric nanogenerator (EA‐CS TENG) is fabricated to investigate the impact of pores and micro pyramidal projections on triboelectric performance. The performances are evaluated with and without an air gap between the materials. Despite the gapless responses being lower than those with the air gap, the gapless system demonstrates the capability to charge a 0.1 µF capacitor up to 0.8 V with mechanical forces of 9 N, validating the potential of surface‐modified porous triboelectric materials for gapless TENGs. Additionally, the device with an air gap achieves a charge of 0.1 µF up to 3.3 V with mechanical forces of 9 N. Finally, a completely self‐powered tally counter is employed to verify the powering and sensing applications of EA‐CS TENG with an air gap. This study confirms the feasibility of utilizing low‐cost EA‐CS TENG as a renewable energy source for generating electricity from mechanical motions and driving devices without the need for batteries.