Fluorophlogopite (Mg-Mica) as a Novel Material for Enhanced Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Wearable electronics have gained significant interest in various applications, including healthcare monitoring, human-machine interfaces, and portable devices. The development of large-area wearable energy devices that can efficiently harvest biomechanical energy is crucial for sustainable and efficient applications. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have demonstrated excellent potential in capturing biomechanical energy by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. However, enhancing the output performance, flexibility, stretchability, and sensitivity of TENGs requires the exploration of new materials and device designs.<br/>Mica, a raw clay mineral composed of layered silicates, has been identified as one of the most promising inorganic non-metal triboelectric materials due to its abundant availability and low friction coefficient. While previous studies have primarily focused on investigating the triboelectric properties of muscovite, this study introduces fluorophlogopite (Mg-mica), an artificially synthesized mica, as a novel material for TENG applications. Fluorophlogopite has not been previously utilized in TENG applications but has been studied as a dielectric material for capacitors due to its high dielectric constant. The fabricated TENG device using Mg-mica as the friction layer exhibited more than a twofold increase in output voltage compared to conventional mica-based TENGs.<br/>Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) measurements were performed to validate the higher surface potential of Mg-mica compared to muscovite. The results indicated that the composition of metallic substances replacing silicon within the mica structure significantly influences the overall output voltage of mica. Additionally, output power measurements from the Mg-Mica-TENG demonstrated an open circuit voltage of 130V, a short circuit current of 6μA, and a maximum power density of 151mW/cm^2. These findings highlight the potential of Mg-mica as a promising material for the development of high-performance TENGs. Further research and exploration of different types of mica can lead to the discovery of more efficient and effective triboelectric devices.