The popularity of portable electronics has led to increased demand for its parts, including power supplies such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Such power supplies must be both flexible and highly productive, capable of withstanding various deformation conditions during hours of use. To improve the design and performance of TENG, Penn State researchers combined a porous 2D material known as MXene and a laser-formed nanocomposite graphene foam to create a material system that can operate on flexible and dynamic surfaces. like human skin or plant leaves.
James L. Henderson Jr., Associate Professor of Engineering at Memorial. “By combining the two materials, TENG can flex up to different strain levels while accumulating kinetic motion to power the device,” said Juanyu “Larry” Cheng. Science and Mechanics at the Pennsylvania State College of Engineering.
The work builds on previous research creating self-powered supercapacitors for use in wearable sensors, but Cheng said in the past TENGs are inherently inelastic. Porous MXene-graphene foam nanocomposites make this possible.
TENG has a number of unique applications, especially for use in personal training.
“The device can alert the personal trainer if the student using the wearable sensor is in the right position for exercise or is yawning or moving too far in an unsafe direction,” Cheng said. “It can also alert an instructor if his student is overtraining.”
TENGs can also be applied to variable surfaces such as plant leaves.
“Conventional sensors cannot grow or deform as the nature of leaves changes,” Cheng said. Said. “This device can be used for days, weeks, months or years as it grows and stretches with the constantly self-powered leaf.”
The TENG sensor, when applied to a houseplant, can detect a passerby intruder by detecting the wind generated by a person. The sensor can sound an alarm or turn on a light in the house to scare off an intruder. The sensor can also be applied to a water tap and detect small drops as they fall.
“This can help conserve energy and resources by alerting the user to a leak,” Cheng said.
Source: Port Altele
