High‐Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride‐Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Composite Nanofibers

Abstract

Herein, a vertical contact‐separated triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) composed of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and graphene oxide nanosheets (GO) is prepared. The effect of GO on PVDF nanofibers is analyzed to find the optimal mass fraction of GO. The morphology, structure, and output performance of PVDF nanofibers are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and digital oscilloscope. The results show that PVDF/GO nanofiber films produce output voltage of about 450 V and short‐circuit current of about 35 μA. The maximum peak power density of TENG consisting of PVDF/GO with cotton fibers is about 5.1 W m−2 under impedance‐matching conditions. Addition with GO suppresses the formation of α‐phase PVDF, thus facilitating the formation of β‐phase PVDF in the crystal structure. Furthermore, doping with GO reduces the average diameter of PVDF nanofibers. The PVDF nanofibers prepared in combination with the electrospinning process yield larger effective contact areas for TENG, which can significantly improve the output performance of the TENG.