Mechanoluminescence ZnS/CaZnOS:Mn2+/PVC composite film-based triboelectric nanogenerator for energy harvesting and intelligent sensing

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an effective energy conversion technology that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy, providing a new path for the efficient harvesting of irregular tiny mechanical energy and the design of self-powered sensors. However, traditional triboelectric materials with relatively low dielectric constants and surface charge densities, as well as their single functionality, limit the practical application progress and usage scope of TENG.   Herein, a simple physical doping method is employed to incorporate ZnS/CaZnOS:Mn 2+ heterojunction into a flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix for the fabrication of mechanoluminescence (ML) triboelectric film with superior properties. Compared with pure PVC film, the dielectric constant (at 100 Hz) and surface charge density of the 4 wt% ZnS/CaZnOS:Mn 2+ /PVC composite film are increased by 1.69 and 1.43 times, respectively. Under a pressure of 0.5 N, the composite film can emit orange light with an intensity of 728, and its thermal decomposition temperature is approximately 50 ℃ higher than that of the pure film. The optimized rotary   disc-shaped TENG based on the composite film can generate an open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of 220 V, a short-circuit current (I sc ) of 24 μA, and a power (P peak ) of 2.3 mW, which can be used to power the normal operation of microelectronic devices. Moreover, a 4 × 4 triboelectric array sensor based on the composite film can accurately recognize human gestures. This work provides a new idea for the design and research of composite triboelectric materials with luminous functions, and offers a reference for the application of ML material-based TENG in energy harvesting and intelligent sensing.