Wet Spun Composite Core-Shell Fibers with Titanium Disulfide Nanosheets for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) covert motion energy into electrical energy by frictional electrification. The simplicity of the triboelectrification mechanism, coupled with a relatively high-power output and straightforward fabrication techniques, renders these devices easily adaptable for a wide range of applications. In this work, TENG performance of core-shell fibers fabricated through the wet-spinning method was investigated [1]. Conducting core fiber, working as the current collecting electrode, consisted of thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon black (TPU/CB) mixture. The conductivity of the core was measured as 3.6 S/m at the composition of 50% CB and 50% TPU. Dielectric shell layers consisted of composites with TPU. First, conductive two-dimensional titanium disulfide (TiS₂) nanosheets were used in these composites. Afterwards, in order to improve the TENG output, TiS₂nanosheets were oxidized to obtain insulating TiO₂nanosheets within the composites. These fibers were fabricated with TiS₂ nanosheet concentrations of 5, 25 and 50 wt.% within the shell layer. Triboelectric performance of TPU/CB-TPU/TiS₂ and TPU/CB-TPU/TiO₂ core-shell fibers were evaluated for their energy generation and harvesting capabilities, as well as their potential use in sensors. Due to the use of TPU both in the core and shell layers, fibers were highly flexible and stretchable. Our results show that these core-shell fibers can be used in various triboelectric applications, including wearable and health monitoring systems, highlighting their potential in IoT environments like real-time human motion and structural health monitoring. <br/> <br/>[1] D Doganay, O Demircioglu, M Cugunlular, MO Cicek, O Cakir, HU Kayaci, S Cinar-Aygun, HE Unalan, Wet spun core-shell fibers for wearable triboelectric nanogenerators, Nano Energy 116 (2023) 108823.