Fully stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing

In this work, a fully stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator (FSTENG) composed of an electrospun electrode and a porous PDMS friction layer with anti-nickel foam structure was fabricated. This FSTENG can deliver an optimal output voltage of 92 V, which is ten times greater than that of the TENG based on flat PDMS film. The superior performance is attributed to the use of anti-nickel foam structure-based porous PDMS film in FSTENG, which enhances the surface-to-volume ratio and surface roughness. Importantly, the FSTENG could maintain stable output performance even under a stretching ratio of 50%. With these excellent features, the developed FSTENG was designed as a self-driven sensor for finger bending and walking status monitoring. Furthermore, to expand the driving mode of FSTENG, FSTENG was successfully attached to the leaf for monitoring the wind speed in the natural environment without external power supply. The excellent flexibility, stretchability, and versatility of FSTENG make it as a promising self-driven sensor for human behavior and environmental monitoring.