Design and synthesis triboelectric polymer for high performance triboelectric nanogenerators

Triboelectric polymer materials are the essential element for triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Designing and synthesizing strategy of triboelectric polymers is the foundation for improving the performance of TENG and the related fabrication methods is also the key element for scaling up the industrial applications of TENG. Moreover, mechanism of charge accumulation, dissipation and migration occurring during contact electrification of triboelectric polymers can also inspire the other study of polymer electronic devices. Here, a review focusing on the latest progress on the triboelectric polymers towards high performance TENG devices is presented. The development and the application of highly negative/positive charged polymers, covalent organic frameworks (COF), adjustable copolymers and robust composite materials is systematically discussed. The important experimental strategies and conclusions of triboelectric polymers are also summarized to guide future study. This review can help for the research on the diversified TENGs, but also facilitate the study in many fields related to the polymer materials. Finally, the challenges and prospects of the development of triboelectric polymers for high performance TENG are outlined, including the influence factor of chemical structure to electrification polarity, the elevation of charge density and charge stability, the large-scale and low-cost synthesis approaches and so on.