A Self-Powered Triboelectric Nanosensor for PH Detection

A self-powered, sliding electrification based triboelectric sensor was developed for detecting PH value from a periodic contact/separation motion. This innovative, cost-effective, simply designed sensor is composed of a fluorinated ethylene propylene thin film and an array of electrodes underneath. The operation of the TENG (triboelectric nanogenerator) sensor relies on a repetitive emerging-submerging process with traveling solution waves, in which the coupling between triboelectrification and electrostatic induction gives rise to alternating flows of electrons between electrodes. On the basis of coupling effect between triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, the sensor generates electric output signals which are associated with PH value. Experimental results show that the output voltage of the TENG sensor increases with the increasing PH value, which indicate that the PH value of different solution can be real-time monitored. This work not only demonstrates a new principle in the field of PH value measurement but also greatly expands the applicability of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as self-powered sensors.