Fabrication of high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator based on Ni3C nanosheets to self-power thermal patch for pain relief

Abstract In this work, we report a vertical contact-separation mode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) comprising of Ni 3 C/PDMS composite and Nylon Nanofibers for self-powering a nichrome wire-based thermal patch for muscular/joint relaxation. An optimised composition of Ni 3 C (25 wt%) and PDMS as a tribo-negative material and Nylon Nanofibers synthesised via electrospinning on copper electrode foil as a tribo-positive material were used to fabricate the TENG. The fabricated TENG exhibits outstanding output generating an average open circuit voltage of ∼252 V, an average short circuit current of ∼40.87 μ A and a peak power of ∼562.35 μ W cm −2 at a matching resistance of 20 MΩ by manual tapping. Enhancement in contact area due to electrospun nylon and micro capacitive Ni 3 C flakes in dielectric PDMS contribute to the exceptional performance of the TENG. The optimised TENG is then connected to a full bridge rectifier with a 100 nF filtering capacitor to convert the AC voltage to a DC output with a peak voltage of ∼5.4 V and a ripple voltage of ∼1.04 V to recharge an ICR 18650 Li-ion battery, which functions as a medium to improve electrical energy flow to the heat patch. The electrical energy is converted into heat energy by a wounded nichrome wire placed inside the heat patch. The nichrome wire of length 3 cm with appropriate number of windings was employed in the heat patch. An increment of 45 °F can be observed by switching the charged Li-ion battery-based circuit ON for just 30 s. The strategy of self-powering a heat patch using this TENG finds enormous applications in physiotherapy and sports to relieve muscle and joint pains.