Effects of PDMS Base/Agent Ratios and Texture Sizes on the Electrical Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a micro/nano electromechanical power system that converts mechanical energy into electricity based on contact electrification and electrostatic induction. At present, research on improving TENG performance mainly focus on material optimization and texture fabrication. This paper proposes a simple material optimization method based on regulating the ratio of elastomer base to curing agent (base/agent ratio) of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to improve the performance of TENG with rectangular groove textures, and the influence of texture sizes on TENG output is explored. By analyzing the contact behavior, dielectric, and mechanical property, the influence mechanism of PDMS base/agent ratios and texture sizes on TENG performance is revealed. Results show that PDMS base/agent ratios affect TENG output mainly through material dielectric properties, while texture sizes mainly by contact behaviors. As the base/agent ratio decreases, although the real contact area and displacement of PDMS exhibit slight reductions, the relative permittivity of PDMS increases, and thus the surface charge density and performance of TENG increases. As the boss width increases or the groove width decreases, the displacement of PDMS declines, which would lead to the slight drop of the surface charge density, but the real contact area increases, which still results in improved TENG output.