High Strength and Toughness Polymeric Triboelectric Materials Enabled by Dense Crystal-Domain Cross-Linking.

Lightweight, easily processed, and durable polymeric materials play a crucial role in wearable sensor devices. However, achieving simultaneously high strength and toughness remains a challenge. This study addresses this by utilizing an ion-specific effect to control crystalline domains, enabling the fabrication of a polymeric triboelectric material with tunable mechanical properties. The dense crystal-domain cross-linking enhances energy dissipation, resulting in a material boasting both high tensile strength (58.0 MPa) and toughness (198.8 MJ m-3), alongside a remarkable 416.7% fracture elongation and 545.0 MPa modulus. Leveraging these properties, the material is successfully integrated into wearable self-powered devices, enabling real-time feedback on human joint movement. This work presents a valuable strategy for overcoming the strength-toughness trade-off in polymeric materials, paving the way for their enhanced applicability and broader use in diverse sensing applications.

Gel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Flexible Sensing: Principles, Properties, and Applications.

The rapid development of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technologies has increased the need for wearable, portable, and self-powered flexible sensing devices. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on gel materials (with excellent conductivity, mechanical tunability, environmental adaptability, and biocompatibility) are considered an advanced approach for developing a new generation of flexible sensors. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in gel-based TENGs for flexible sensors, covering their principles, properties, and applications. Based on the development requirements for flexible sensors, the working mechanism of gel-based TENGs and the characteristic advantages of gels are introduced. Design strategies for the performance optimization of hydrogel-, organogel-, and aerogel-based TENGs are systematically summarized. In addition, the applications of gel-based TENGs in human motion sensing, tactile sensing, health monitoring, environmental monitoring, human-machine interaction, and other related fields are summarized. Finally, the challenges of gel-based TENGs for flexible sensing are discussed, and feasible strategies are proposed to guide future research.

A Tough Monolithic-Integrated Triboelectric Bioplastic Enabled by Dynamic Covalent Chemistry.

Electronic waste is a growing threat to the global environment and human health, raising particular concerns. Triboelectric devices synthesized from sustainable and degradable materials are a promising electronic alternative, but the mechanical mismatch at the interface between the polymer substrate and the electrodes remains unresolved in practical applications. This study uses the sulfhydryl silanization reaction and the chemical selectivity and site specificity of the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction in dynamic covalent chemistry to prepare a tough monolithic-integrated triboelectric bioplastic. The stress is dissipated by covalent bond adaptation to the interface interaction, which makes the polymer dielectric layer to the conductive layer have a good interface adhesion effect (220.55 kPa). The interfacial interlocking of the polymer substrate with the conductive layer gives the triboelectric bioplastic excellent tensile strength (87.4 MPa) and fracture toughness (33.3 MJ m-3). Even when subjected to a tension force of 10 000 times its weight, it still maintains a stable triboelectric output with no visible cracks. This study provides new insights into the design of reliable and environmentally friendly self-powered devices, which is significant for the development of flexible wearable electronics.

Rational Design of Cellulosic Triboelectric Materials for Self-Powered Wearable Electronics.

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things and flexible electronic technologies, there is a growing demand for wireless, sustainable, multifunctional, and independently operating self-powered wearable devices. Nevertheless, structural flexibility, long operating time, and wearing comfort have become key requirements for the widespread adoption of wearable electronics. Triboelectric nanogenerators as a distributed energy harvesting technology have great potential for application development in wearable sensing. Compared with rigid electronics, cellulosic self-powered wearable electronics have significant advantages in terms of flexibility, breathability, and functionality. In this paper, the research progress of advanced cellulosic triboelectric materials for self-powered wearable electronics is reviewed. The interfacial characteristics of cellulose are introduced from the top-down, bottom-up, and interfacial characteristics of the composite material preparation process. Meanwhile, the modulation strategies of triboelectric properties of cellulosic triboelectric materials are presented. Furthermore, the design strategies of triboelectric materials such as surface functionalization, interfacial structure design, and vacuum-assisted self-assembly are systematically discussed. In particular, cellulosic self-powered wearable electronics in the fields of human energy harvesting, tactile sensing, health monitoring, human-machine interaction, and intelligent fire warning are outlined in detail. Finally, the current challenges and future development directions of cellulosic triboelectric materials for self-powered wearable electronics are discussed.

Wearable Triboelectric Visual Sensors for Tactile Perception.

Tactile sensors with visible light feedback functions, such as wearable displays and electronic skin and biomedical devices, are becoming increasingly important in various fields. However, existing methods cannot meet the application requirements for the tactile perception of intensity feedback and extended intersection due to their limited light-mapping performance and insufficient portability. Herein, a freely constructible self-powered visual tactile sensor is proposed, which consists of a high-output triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and a visual light source. The transferred charge of the TENG is enhanced to 746 nC by the structural design of the triboelectric material and device, which can easily drive the light source to generate a light signal with a brightness of 9.8 cd m-2 . Notably, the application of the TENG enables to realization visual sensing of the palm-grasp state and strength feedback without an external power supply. This visual feedback and power-free tactile sensors are expected to have potential application in the field of artificial intelligence as a new interactive medium for smart protective clothing and robotics.

Gas-Sensitive Cellulosic Triboelectric Materials for Self-Powered Ammonia Sensing.

Gas-sensitive materials are capable of dynamic identification and content monitoring of specific gases in the environment, and their applications in the field of gas sensing are promising. However, weak adsorption properties are the main challenge limiting the application of gas-sensitive materials. A highly adsorbent gas-sensitive cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based triboelectric material with a layered structure is prepared here and it is applied to self-powered gas sensing. The layered structure of the triethoxy-1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluoro-n-octylsilane cellulose nanofiber (PFOTES-CNF)-based gas-sensitive material further enhances the adsorption of the material due to electrostatic adsorption in the electrostatic field induced by triboelectricity. It is found that the ammonia-sensitive material obtained by loading Ti3 C2 Tx in PFOTES-CNF has a fast response/recovery (12/14 s), high sensitivity response (Vair /Vgas  = 2.1), high selectivity response (37.6%), and low detection limit (10 ppm) for 100 ppm of ammonia gas. In addition, the ammonia-sensitive CNF-based triboelectric material can accurately identify NH3 concentration changes in the range of 10-120 ppm and transmit the signal wirelessly to the user interface, facilitating real-time online monitoring of NH3 in the environment. A novel strategy is provided here for designing and preparing high-performance gas-sensitive composites and the analysis of self-powered gas sensing is guided.

Long non-coding RNA SENCR alleviates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammatory response by sponging miR-1.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial cell apoptosis is one of the main reasons for the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The role of smooth muscle and endothelial cell enriched migration/differentiation-associated lncRNA (SENCR) in the cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury and its potential mechanism were investigated in this study to provide a novel biomarker for the development of AMI. METHODS: The expression levels of SENCR in the serum of AMI patients and non-AMI patients with chest pain (control) were detected by qRT-PCR. The function of SENCR in the cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammatory response induced by H/R injury was evaluated by MTT, cell apoptosis, and ELISA assay, respectively. The mechanism underlying the function of SENCR was investigated with the luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: SENCR was significantly downregulated in AMI compared with the control volunteers, which showed negative correlations with the cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) level of patients. The H/R injury-induced cell apoptosis and inflammatory response in cardiomyocytes, which were attenuated by the overexpression of SENCR. The expression of miR-1 was suppressed by the overexpression of SENCR, while the overexpression of miR-1 could alleviate the cell apoptosis, enhance cell viability, and attenuate inflammatory response in cardiomyocyte. SENCR reversed H/R-induced myocardial cell injury by regulating the expression of miR-1. CONCLUSIONS: SENCR was correlated with the clinicopathological features of patients and was revealed to alleviate the cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammatory response induced by H/R injury via sponging miR-1.