Enhanced High-Resolution Triboelectrification-Induced Electroluminescence for Self-Powered Visualized Interactive Sensing

Transforming dynamic mechanical interactions into visualized luminescence represents a research frontier in the detection of tactile stimuli. Here, we report a self-powered high-resolution triboelectrification-induced electroluminescence (HR-TIEL) sensor for visualizing the contact profile and dynamic trajectory of a contact object. As dynamic interactions occur, triboelectric charges at the contact interface generate a transient electric field that excites the phosphor. From the numerical simulation, a conductive layer based on transparent silver nanowires (AgNWs) guides the direction of the electric field and confines it within the profile boundary of the connect object. As a result, a sharp change of the electric field at the profile boundary greatly promotes the luminescence intensity as well as the lateral spatial resolution. Compared to a triboelectrification-induced electroluminescence (TIEL) sensor without the conductive layer, the luminescence intensity is enhanced by 90%, and the lateral spatial resolution of ～500 μm is achieved. The HR-TIEL sensor is then demonstrated to reveal the surface texture on a nitrile glove. It relies on neither additional power supplies nor complex wiring/circuit design. This work paves the way for the feasible detection of tactile stimuli such as touch and slipping, which will be potentially used in robotics, human–machine interface, flexible and wearable electronics, and so forth