Magnetized microcilia-based triboelectric nanogenerators with mechanoluminescence for energy harvesting and signal sensing

Flexible triboelectric nanogenerators with multimodal sensing capabilities have received considerable attention due to their potential for the development of wearable technology. However, the accurate and reliable display of motion trajectories represents a significant challenge. The structure design of the triboelectric nanogenerators yarn with magnetized microcilia and mechanoluminescence (MLY-TENG) was designed, which can be woven into the fabric of display force trajectories. The positive electrode is constructed by the braided yarn with a porous structure, consisting of polyurethane formed by wet spinning. Meanwhile, the flexible negative electrode is designed by the recombination of magnetized microcilia and the mechanoluminescent structure of polydimethylsiloxane, matching with the porous structure of the positive electrode, which enhances the electric transfer. At a compression depth of 100 %, compression frequency of 5 Hz, and magnetized powder of 50 wt%, the proposed MLY-TENG shows the triboelectric properties of 109.2 V and exhibits excellent cyclic stability. Furthermore, the magnetized microcilia on the luminescent magnetized microcilia (LMM) film with the polyurethane-copper-polyurethane (PWP)-based fabric (MLF-TENG) distinguishes the shape and area of object recognition with electrical signals and visual sensing of mechanoluminescence. The MLY-TENG offers the possibility of the development of advanced visualization techniques for wearable electronic devices.