Collaborative Research: Understanding the Multiscale Behavior of Triboelectric Devices

摩擦电是由于接触带电，当几乎任何金属（导体），半导体或电介质（绝缘体）材料的组合接触时发生的现象。以前，利用该原理的设备是在不理解摩擦电背后的基本机制的情况下开发的。该项目的目标是通过分析模型和实验分析的结合，填补有关摩擦电的真实性质的知识空白。该技术的潜在变革用途是为智能或智能包装中使用的传感器和设备提供电源。预计医药包装将成为增长最快的智能包装市场，美国老龄化人口的医疗保健需求将带来机遇。此外，据估计，美国企业每年因假药贸易损失高达2500亿美元的利润。 “智能”包装解决方案包括印刷电子产品、能够照明的智能标签、温度和湿度指示器以及用于跟踪和快速包装识别的射频识别标签。此外，还有一系列传感器可以记录配送环境中的力。 这些设备都需要电力。该项目还包括以基于摩擦电装置的互动游戏形式开展的教育推广活动，以吸引K-12学生，并针对代表性不足的少数群体，使他们攻读科学和技术、工程和数学领域的研究生学位。开发由于接触带电过程引起的电荷转移的分子尺度机制的预测模型，模拟影响其性能的器件的宏观和微观特性的相互作用，研究环境条件对这些器件性能的影响，并制定关于柔性摩擦发电机宏观行为的多维分析模型，该模型包括环境影响，和微尺度效应，例如表面形貌、局部电荷分布和接触的真实的面积。这项研究的成果将最终在一个测试台的概念，摩擦电泡沫复合材料用于智能包装的并发能量清除和振动抑制。该项目中的方法建立了摩擦电装置设计的新范式，并标志着首次系统地尝试了解摩擦电发电机/传感器在多个空间尺度上的行为。从这项研究中获得的见解将最终在系统层面上理解这些设备，这将导致介电材料，表面处理和纹理的摩擦电基因组，以及弹性耦合元件，以设计用于特定目标的摩擦电设备，无论是传感，能量收集还是作为电子设备的输入。该项目还将量化摩擦电设备的环境条件，并对其影响进行现象学建模。

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.