Quantifying the pyroelectric and photovoltaic coupling series of ferroelectric films.

The coupling of photovoltaic and pyroelectric effects is a common phenomenon in ferroelectric films and often results in coupling enhancements. Although the coupling effects of a variety of ferroelectric films have been examined in terms of improved performance, they have yet to be quantitatively ranked and assessed. Here, by taking the charge coupling factor, the Yang's charge, and output energy as metrics to evaluate the coupling performance, a methodology is developed for evaluating the performance of a range ferroelectric films when the pyroelectric and photovoltaic effects are coupled.

Nanotherapy for Neural Retinal Regeneration.

Retinal diseases can severely impair vision and even lead to blindness, posing significant threats to both physical and mental health. Physical retinal regenerative therapies are poised to revolutionize the treatment of various disorders associated with blindness. However, these therapies must overcome the challenges posed by the protective inner and outer blood‒retinal barriers.

Bioinspired Electrostatic Capture-and-Release System for Precise Microdroplet Manipulation.

The application of physical fields is crucial for droplet generation and manipulation, underpinning technologies like printing, microfluidic biochips, drug delivery, and flexible sensors. Despite advancements, precise micro/nanoscale droplet generation and accurate microfluidic reactions remain challenging. Inspired by the liquid ejection mechanisms in microscopic organisms, an electrostatic manipulator for the precise capture, emission, and transport of microdroplets is proposed.

Bioinspired Smart Triboelectric Soft Pneumatic Actuator-Enabled Hand Rehabilitation Robot.

Quantitative assessment for post-stroke spasticity remains a significant challenge due to the encountered variable resistance during passive stretching, which can lead to the widely used modified Ashworth scale (MAS) for spasticity assessment depending heavily on rehabilitation physicians. To address these challenges, a high-force-output triboelectric soft pneumatic actuator (TENG-SPA) inspired by a lobster tail is developed. The bioinspired TENG-SPA can generate approximately 20 N at 0.

Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator Patch for Accelerated Wound Healing Through the Synergy of Electrostimulation and Photothermal Effect.

Physiological wound healing process can restore the functional and structural integrity of skin, but is often delayed due to external disturbance. The development of methods for promoting the repair process of skin wounds represents a highly desired and challenging goal. Here, a flexible, self-powered, and multifunctional triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) wound patch (e-patch) is presented for accelerating wound healing through the synergy of electrostimulation and photothermal effect.

A Flexible Rolling Triboelectric Nanogenerator with a Bionic Gill Cover Structure for Low-Velocity Water Flow Energy Harvesting.

Harvesting low-velocity water flow energy stably over the long term is a significant challenge. Herein, a flexible rolling triboelectric nanogenerator with a bionic gill cover structure (GFR-TENG) to harvest steady low-velocity water flow energy is proposed. The dielectric material of the GFR-TENG is eight flexible hollow fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) pipes, which guarantees that rolling friction is formed between the dielectric material and copper electrode.

Study on Recovery Strategy of Hearing Loss & SGN Regeneration Under Physical Regulation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people are expected to have some degree of hearing loss (HL) and at least 700 million will need hearing rehabilitation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop treatment strategies for HL.

Piezoelectric stimulation enhances bone regeneration in alveolar bone defects through metabolic reprogramming of macrophages.

Immunomodulation has emerged as a promising strategy for promoting bone regeneration. However, designing osteoimmunomodulatory biomaterial that can respond to mechanical stress in the unique microenvironment of alveolar bone under continuous occlusal stress remains a significant challenge. Herein, a wireless piezoelectric stimulation system, namely, piezoelectric hydrogel incorporating BaTiO nanoparticles (BTO NPs), is successfully developed to generate piezoelectric potentials for modulating macrophage reprogramming.

A wearable triboelectric impedance tomography system for noninvasive and dynamic imaging of biological tissues.

Tissue imaging is usually captured by hospital-based nuclear magnetic resonance. Here, we present a wearable triboelectric impedance tomography (TIT) system for noninvasive imaging of various biological tissues. The imaging mechanism relies on the obtained impedance information from the different soft human tissues.

Luminescent Tactile Sensor System for Robots: Enhancing Human-Computer Interaction in Complex Dark Environments.

In order to achieve interaction and collaboration with humans, robots need to have the ability for tactile perception of simulating human. Traditional methods use electrically connected sensors with complex arrays, leading to intricate wiring, high manufacturing costs, and demanding current environments. A flexible sensor with simple structure, easy preparation process, and low cost based on triboluminescence effect is proposed in this paper, which avoids the complex array and wiring of traditional sensors.

High Tribo-Charge Density Composite Nanofiber Membrane for Motion Sensing and Water Wave Energy Harvesting.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), among the most simple and efficient means to harvest mechanical energy, have great potential in renewable energy utilization. While the output performance of TENGs is still not high enough, which limits its practical application. Here, a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/fluorinated ethylene propylene nanoparticles (FEP NPs) porous nanofiber (PFPN) membrane with waterproof, breathable, surface superhydrophobic and high tribo-negative properties is proposed for achieving high-performance of TENGs.

Engineering Triboelectric Paper for Energy Harvesting and Smart Sensing.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) represent a promising technology for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing with a wide range of applications. Despite their potential, challenges such as the need for cost-effective, large-area electrodes and engineering sustainable triboelectric materials remain, especially given the impending restrictions on single-use engineering plastics in Europe. To address these challenges, engineering nano-graphite-coated paper is presented as a sustainable and high-performance alternative for triboelectric layers.

Perovskite in Triboelectric Nanogenerator and the Hybrid Energy Collection System.

In the context of escalating energy demands and environmental sustainability, the paradigm of global energy systems is undergoing a transformative shift to innovative and reliable energy-harvesting techniques ranging from solar cells to triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to hybrid energy systems, where a fever in the study of perovskite materials has been set off due to the excellent optoelectronic properties and defect tolerance features. This review begins with the basic properties of perovskite materials and the fundamentals of TENGs, including their working principles and general developing strategy, then delves into the key role of perovskite materials in promoting TENG-based hybrid technologies in terms of energy conversion. While spotlighting the coupling of triboelectric-optoelectronic effects in harnessing energy from a variety of sources, thereby transcending the limitations inherent to single-source energy systems, this review pays special attention to the strategic incorporation of perovskite materials into TENGs and TENG-based energy converting systems, which heralds a new frontier in enhancing efficiency, stability, and adaptability.

Biomaterial Promotes Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Health Diagnostics and Clinical Application.

With the growing demand for personalized healthcare services, biomaterial-based triboelectric nanogenerators (BM-TENGs) have gained widespread attention due to their non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. This review systematically examines the working principles, material choices, biomimetic designs, and clinical application scenarios of BM-TENGs, with a focus on the use of natural biomaterials, biocomposites, hydrogels, and other materials in health diagnostics. Biomaterials show significant potential in enhancing TENG performance, improving device flexibility, and expanding application ranges, especially in early disease detection, health monitoring, and self-powered sensing devices.

Triboelectric sensor with ultra-wide linear range based on water-containing elastomer and ion-rich interface.

The incompatibility of the high sensitivity and wide linear range still restricts the further development of active sensors. Here we report a triboelectric pressure sensor based on water-containing triboelectric elastomer with gradient-based microchannels. Tiny amount of liquid is injected into the triboelectric elastomer and the pressure-induced water bridges can modulate the built-in electric field of the sensor, which enhance the signal linearity near the compression limit.

One-step green hydrometallurgical recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries' cathode.

The transition towards a low-carbon future hinges on the advancement of Lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology, which has spurred a significant demand for raw materials and the management of waste batteries containing hazardous substances. Developing efficient and environmentally friendly recycling strategies is essential to tackle these challenges. Here, we introduce a one-step green hydrometallurgical recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries' cathode on the basis of contact-electro-catalytic (CEC) process.

Bonding Optimization Strategies for Flexibly Preparing Multi-Component Piezoelectric Crystals.

Flexible films with optimal piezoelectric performance and water-triggered dissolution behavior are fabricated using the co-dissolution-evaporation method by mixing trimethylchloromethyl ammonium chloride (TMCM-Cl), CdCl, and polyethylene oxide (PEO, a water-soluble polymer). The resultant TMCM trichlorocadmium (TMCM-CdCl) crystal/PEO film exhibited the highest piezoelectric coefficient (d) compared to the films employing other polymers because PEO lacks electrophilic or nucleophilic side-chain groups and therefore exhibits relatively weaker and fewer bonding interactions with the crystal components. Furthermore, upon slightly increasing the amount of one precursor of TMCM-CdCl during co-dissolution, this component gained an advantage in the competition against PEO for bonding with the other precursor.

Ultraweak light-modulated heterostructure with bidirectional photoresponse for static and dynamic image perception.

The human visual system's adaptability to varying brightness levels has inspired the development of optoelectronic neuromorphic devices. However, achieving bidirectional photoresponse, essential for mimicking these functions, often requires high operation voltages or high light intensities. Here, we propose a bidirectional ZnO/CsPbBr heterostructure based neuromorphic image sensor array (10 × 10 pixels) capable of ultraweak light stimulation.

Tailoring tetrahedral and pair-correlation entropies of glass-forming liquids for energy storage applications at ultralow temperatures.

Aqueous solution experiences either crystallization or vitrification as being cooled, yet the mechanism of this bifurcation is confused. Since the glass-transition temperature T is much lower than the melting temperature, we herein propose an entropy-driven glass-forming liquid (EDGFL) as an attractive concept to develop anti-freezing electrolytes. The T is delicately modulated via regulating local structural orders to avoid the energy-driven ice crystallization and enter an entropy-driven glass transition, which can be theoretically explained by the competitive effect between tetrahedral entropy of water and pair correlation entropy related to ions.