Tunable output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator based on alginate metal complex for sustainable operation of intelligent keyboard sensing system

As a renewable power source, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can effectively harvest mechanical energy and can convert it into remarkable electrical output. However, also worth considering is to exploit the new triboelectric material to promote the practical application of TENGs in the field of intelligent sensing. Here, we firstly proposed a novel multifunctional TENG based on the alginate-metallic complex (AMC-TENG), which can provide tunable electrical output via synthesis of the alginate complexes with different metal ions. Through some comparative experiments, the AMC has a strong ability to lose electrons. As displayed in the experimental results, the AMC-TENG can achieve the highest electrical output, and the order of the electrical output from high to low is Copper alginate (Alg-Cu), ferric alginate (Alg-Fe), sodium alginate (Alg-Na), magnesium alginate (Alg-Mg), and aluminum alginate (Alg-Al). Besides, we design a self-powered sensing array based on the binary-decimal conversion system to demonstrate its practical application. We all think this work can provide a new perspective and possibility for the research of multifunctional triboelectric material and the development of self-powered sensing array.