High-performance triboelectric nanogenerators boosted by synergistically aligned piezoelectric/conductive composite nanofibers

To address the need for efficient, flexible, and wearable power sources for portable electronics, a high performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) was proposed by incorporating vertically-aligned barium titanate (BaTiO 3 )/antimony tin oxide (ATO) nanofibers in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) negative triboelectric layer, where BaTiO 3 served as piezoelectric material, and ATO served as conductive filler. Silver-coated conductive fabric was used as electrode to ensure integrability and wearability. By strategically coupling the triboelectric effect of PDMS, the piezoelectric effect of BaTiO 3 nanofibers, and the charge transfer effect of ATO nanofibers, the TENG exhibited the optimum output voltage and current of approximately 119 V and 28 μA, and power density of 11.74 μW/cm 2 , respectively. This device demonstrates its potential applications in energy supply by effectively illuminating 174 commercial green LEDs and charging capacitors for powering electronics. Additionally, the successful integration of the TENG into a smart fencing jacket highlights its utility in practical applications. Highlights TENGs with vertically-aligned BaTiO 3 /ATO composite nanofibers was constructed. The output performance of TENGs were enhanced by coupling triboelectric and piezoelectric effects. Conductive ATO nanofibers were incorporated to enhance charge transfer for performance enhancement. A smart fencing jacket with scoring system was developed using the wearable TENG.