Enhanced performance triboelectric nanogenerator based on porous structure C/MnO₂ nanocomposite for energy harvesting

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can realize a variety of mechanical energy collections in the environment, which has great potential in the field of wearable energy. However, many TENGs could rarely be satisfactory to wearable electronics promotion because of their expensive raw materials and complex manufacturing processes. In this study, a type of porous structure carbon powder/manganese dioxide (C/MnO₂) nanocomposite is introduced. The material adopts low-cost, high-yield carbon powder, can be prepared in one step through a simple, economical, and environmentally friendly hydrothermal preparation process, and has high economic practicality. Superior power generation performance was obtained by modulating the charge trapping ability and storage capacity of polydimethylsiloxane@C/MnO₂ (PDMS@C/MnO₂) film based on variations in the weight-loading of C/MnO₂. The maximum output voltage of carbon powder/manganese dioxide TENG (CM-TENG) is 63 V, which is 2.1 times that of PDMS-TENG and 1.86 times that of carbon powder TENG (C-TENG) and can easily light up 53 LEDs. Furthermore, CM-TENG can convert biological motion energy into electrical signals to detect human hand movements. The CM-TENG self-powered system can successfully drive various microelectronic devices, such as electronic watches, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and calculators. This study provides a reliable, low-cost, high-performance, and widely applicable electronic system that shows great potential in future fields such as wearable devices and micro-sensing systems.