Electrical performance enhancement of a triboelectric nanogenerator based on epoxy resin/BaTiO3by Al nanopowder addition for low power electronic devices.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are crucial for applications such as smart sensors and bio-electronics. In the current work, we aimed for improved performance of TENGs with incorporation of BaTiO3powder, which is known for its strong ferroelectric properties, combining it with epoxy resin to improve the flexibility of our devices. We observed that our TENGs can operate for over 24 000 cycles with no degradation of function. Additionally, we improved the electrical performance of the TENGs by incorporating various aluminum concentrations that change the electronic properties in the form of mixed epoxy resin, BaTiO3, and Al nanopowders. To identify the optimum conditions for the best performance, we analyzed the electrical characteristics and material properties by employing scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray diffractometry characterization techniques. Our findings suggest that this innovative combination of materials and optimization techniques can significantly improve the performance of TENGs, making them ideal for practical applications in various fields, such as low-power electronics, environmental monitoring and healthcare. Moreover, these enhanced TENGs can serve as sustainable and dependable energy sources for various applications.

Flexible capacitive sensor based on 2D-titanium dioxide nanosheets/bacterial cellulose composite film.

In this paper, titanium dioxide nanosheets (Ti0.91O2 NSs) were incorporated into bacterial cellulose (BC) film for dielectric property tuning while maintaining the flexibility of the resulting composite paper. By taking advantage of the improved dielectric constant, the nanosheets/BC composites were employed as capacitive sensors. The fabricated devices showed the highest sensing performance of ∼2.44 × 10-3 kPa-1 from 0 to 30 N when incorporating as little as 3 vol% of Ti0.91O2 NSs (or ∼2 wt% Ti). Stable operation and high robustness of the sensor were demonstrated, where simple human motions could be efficiently monitored. This study provided a route for preparing flexible and low-cost BC composite paper for capacitive sensor. The strategy for enhancing the dielectric properties as well as sensing performances of the BC demonstrated herein will be essential for the future development of biocompatible, low-cost, and eco-friendly wearable electronics.

AC Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Lepidocrocite-type Alkali Titanate Tunable by Interlayer Cation and Intralayer Metal.

The lepidocrocite-type layered alkali titanate AxMyTi2-yO4 has diverse chemical compositions with variation in charge per formula unit x, the interlayer cation A+, and the intralayer metal M. Despite this multivariable nature, the composition dependence of physical properties is not well explored. We report herein the AC conductivity and the complementary dielectric properties of Cs0.7M0.35Ti1.65O4, K0.8M0.4Ti1.6O4 (M = Zn, Ni), and the mixed-interlayer ion Cs0.6K0.1Zn0.35Ti1.65O4. For Cs0.7Zn0.35Ti1.65O4, the total AC conductivity is ∼7 × 10-8 to 2 × 10-6 S·cm-1 at 200-350 °C, associating with an activation energy Ea ∼ 865 meV. Meanwhile, the conductivity of K0.8Zn0.4Ti1.6O4 is higher by 1 order of magnitude at much lower temperature (25-150 °C) and a smaller Ea ∼ 250 meV. This difference originates from the compositional robustness of the cesium-containing samples, contrasting with the sintering-induced changes in the potassium analogues. For the latter, the loss of the interlayer K+ ion results in (i) generation of carriers due to charge compensation, (ii) reduction of sheet charge density and weakening of electrostatic attraction, and (iii) widening of the interlayer distance, all contributing to a lower Ea in K0.8M0.4Ti1.6O4. The angular frequency dependence of conductivity, dielectric permittivity (up to a colossal value of 109), and dielectric loss follows the universal power law. Our work demonstrates the potential of simple compositional variation for electrical properties tuning, prompting a more in-depth investigation covering a wider range of possible candidates of x, A+, and M in lepidocrocite titanate.