A PDMS based triboelectric energy harvester as self-powered, active tactile sensor system for human skin

In this paper, we present a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based triboelectric generator (TEG) that can either harvest biomechanical energy or be utilized as a self-powered tactile sensor system. We developed a novel and cost effective fabrication method of a micro-structured PDMS film by using sand paper template to be used in our proposed TEG. Here, triboelectricity is generated by a conjunction of triboelectric and electrostatic induction due to repetitive contact-separation actions between an area of human skin and PDMS layer. The working mechanism of the TEG is based on the charge transfer between the PDMS electrode and ground. The as-fabricated prototype generates a maximum open circuit voltage of 17.34 V and short-circuit current of 187 nA by mild finger pressing on the device and thus demonstrates its self-powered tactile sensing capabilities by recording the output voltage signals.