Collaborative Research: Understanding the Multiscale Behavior of Triboelectric Devices

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Triboelectricity is due to contact electrification, a phenomenon that occurs when nearly any combination of metal (conductor), semiconductor, or dielectric (insulator) materials come into contact. Previously, devices that utilize this principle were developed without understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind triboelectricity. The objective of this project is to fill in the knowledge gap about the true nature of triboelectricity through a combination of analytical models and experimental analysis. Potential transformative uses of this technology are to provide power sources to sensors and devices used in smart or intelligent packaging. Pharmaceutical packaging is predicted to be the fastest growing intelligent packaging market, with opportunities driven by the health care needs of the aging US population. Additionally, it is estimated that US businesses lose up to $250 billion of profit due to the counterfeit drug trade each year. "Smart" packaging solutions include printed electronics, smart labels capable of illumination, temperature and humidity indicators, and radio frequency identification tags used for tracking and quick package identification. In addition, there is an array of sensors that can record forces in the distribution environment. These devices share a need of power. The project also includes educational outreach activities in the form of interactive games based on triboelectric devices to engage K-12 students and to target under-represented minorities into pursuing a graduate degree in a science and technology and engineering and mathematics field.The specific objectives of this project are to: develop predictive models of the molecular scale mechanism of charge transfer due to the contact electrification process, model the interplay of the macro and microscale properties of the device that effect its performance, study the effect of environmental conditions on the performance of these devices, and formulate multidimensional analytical models on the macroscopic behavior of flexible triboelectric generators that incorporate environmental effects, and microscale effects such as surface topography, local charge distribution, and real area of contact. The outcomes of this research will culminate in a test bed concept of a triboelectric foam composite to be utilized in smart packaging for concurrent energy scavenging and vibration suppression. The methodology in this project establishes a new paradigm on the design of triboelectric devices and marks the first systematic attempt to understand the behavior of triboelectric generators / sensors at multiple spatial scales. The insights gained from this research will culminate in system level understanding of these devices that will lead to a triboelectric genome of dielectric materials, surface treatments and textures, and elastic coupling elements to design a triboelectric device for a specific objective, whether it be sensing, energy scavenging or as an input to electronic devices. The project will also result in quantification of environmental condition on triboelectric devices, and phenomenologically modeling their effect.