Single-Electrode, Nylon-Fiber-Enhanced Polytetrafluoroethylene Electret Film with Hollow Cylinder Structure for Mechanical Energy Harvesting

Abstract

A single-electrode nylon fiber-incorporated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) electret flexible film with hollow cylinder structure is developed for enhanced mechanical energy harvesting. The power is generated by the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film via bending deformations that result in charges transferring between the conductive carbon black silicone rubber (CBS) electrode and ground. The results demonstrate that the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film results in enhanced open-circuit voltage, V-oc, (about 0.45 times more) compared to a pure PTFE based on the hollow cylinder structure. With the step-increased distance of travelling for the reported hollow cylinder structure device, more power is generated by this mechanical-electrical energy conversion because of a greater deformation compression onto the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film. The peak of the generated short-circuit current, I-SC, and V-oc based on the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film with 1 ms(-2) are up to 0.35 mu A and 72 V, respectively. It is also possible to light an 8 light-emitting diode (LED) setup by finger tapping, demonstrating the good mechanical energy conversion performance of the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film. Moreover, a quick voltage response of the nylon fiber/PTFE electret film is demonstrated in several different ultrasonic environments (such as 70 kHz and 30 kHz).