Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals as Charge Boosters for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals significantly enhance the electrical output of triboelectric nanogenerators by acting as charge boosters, leading to high-performance energy harvesting devices.

Contribution

Introducing ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals as functional fillers in TENGs to substantially improve their electrical performance and charge storage capabilities.

Findings

Achieved an open-circuit voltage of 1.1 kV in TENGs.

Power density reached 110 W/m2, seven times higher than pure PVDF.

Successfully powered over 500 LEDs without additional power management.

Abstract

Driven by growing demand for clean energy, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as promising self-powered systems, yet achieving high charge density remains a critical challenge. In polymer dielectrics, triboelectricity can be further amplified by incorporating high-dielectric and polar materials for functional adaptability. Conventional dielectrics, including liquid crystals (LCs), offer limited improvement for triboelectrification, whereas the breakthrough ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (NF-LCs), with giant spontaneous polarization and high dielectric constant, act as highly effective charge boosters. Here, we introduce NF-LC (DIO) as a functional filler in a PVDF-based TENG. Increasing DIO content progressively grows the electroactive phase and effective polarization in PVDF and defines a marked improvement in TENGs electrical performances through favourable dipolar alignment and strengthened charge-trap effects. The optimized composite film achieves an impressive open-circuit voltage of 1.1 kV, short-circuit current of 50 micro Amp, and power density of 110 W/m2 - seven times higher than pure PVDF. The device exhibits excellent charge-storage capability, powers over 500 LEDs without power management. This work establishes NF-LC-based TENGs as a new platform for high-performance self-powered energy harvesting, linking soft matter physics with applied energy technology.