A research team from the Provincial‑Ministerial Co‑Built State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non‑Ferrous Metals has achieved a significant breakthrough in developing high‑output, ultra‑durable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Their work, titled “Layer‑Engineered Hybrid MoS₂ Nanosheets for Synergistic Charge Trapping and Superlubrication toward High‑Output Ultra‑Durable Triboelectric Nanogenerators,” has been published in the leading materials science journal Advanced Functional Materials (CAS Zone 1, TOP journal, Impact Factor: 19.0).
The study is credited to the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non‑Ferrous Metals at Lanzhou University of Technology as the primary affiliation. Associate Researcher Zhao Kun is the first corresponding author, with Professor Zhang Kewei of Qingdao University as a co‑corresponding author.
To address the common limitations of triboelectric materials—namely, weak charge‑trapping capacity and poor wear resistance—the team introduced a new strategy based on lithium‑ion intercalation to synthesize hybrid monolayer‑multilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the layer‑dependent charge transfer and band‑structure modulation in exfoliated MoS₂ provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing surface charge trapping.
By exploiting MoS₂’s excellent charge‑trapping ability and tribological properties, the researchers developed a MoS₂/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite film that exhibits strong negative triboelectric polarity and superlubricity. The optimized film with 2.8 wt% MoS₂ shows a negative surface potential of –0.31 kV and a coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.07. Compared with pure PTFE, this represents a 416.7% increase in the absolute value of negative surface potential and a 65.5% reduction in the coefficient of friction.
Under a wind speed of 19.5 m s⁻¹, the wind‑driven TENG delivers an output voltage of 452 V, a current of 58 μA, and a power of 6.98 mW. Importantly, after 21.6 million cycles, the device retains about 95% of its initial open‑circuit voltage. Building on this performance, the team also fabricated a self‑powered heart‑rate monitoring strap and a respiratory sensor, highlighting the potential of the technology for physiological monitoring.
This work offers a novel design strategy for triboelectric materials and provides valuable guidance for developing high‑performance, ultra‑durable TENGs.
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