Study of ZnO nanosheets growth parameters effect on the performance of the triboelectric nanogenerator

Herein, we report the effect of ZnO thin film morphology on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) performance. The ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a hot-plate method, which is an easy, inexpensive, low-temperature, and fast- process. We used ZnO film and PET as frictional layers to fabricate the TENG device. ZnO films that were synthesized at various growth temperatures and growth durations were used to test the TENG's output. It was observed that TENG output increased with ZnO films synthesized at higher growth temperatures and growth duration. This enhancement in the output can result from a change in the effective contact surface area of the ZnO film with PET. The maximum peak-to-peak voltage and short circuit current of ∼ 15 V and ∼ 20 µA were obtained for ZnO films synthesized at a temperature of 90 °C for 4 hrs. The resulting TENG displays consistent current output across 598 cycles, demonstrating the TENG's excellent level of stability.