Nylon-11 nanowires for triboelectric energy harvesting

Triboelectric energy harvesting from ambient mechanical sources relies on motion-generated surface charge transfer between materials with different electron affinities. In order to achieve highly efficient energy harvesting perfor-mance, choosing materials with a high surface charge density is crucial, and odd-numbered polyamides (Nylons), such as Nylon-11, are particularly prom-ising due to their strong electron-donating characteristics and the possibility to achieve dipolar alignment leading to high surface potential. The use of Nylon-11 as a material for triboelectric energy harvesting has been rather limited due to the extreme processing conditions required for film fabrication, and the high-voltage poling process required for dipole alignment. However, several methods to achieve “self-poled” Nylon-11 nanowires via facile nanoconfinement techniques have been demonstrated recently, leading to highly efficient Nylon-11 nanowire-based triboelectric nanogenerators. Here, we review the most recent advances in the fabrication of Nylon-11 nanowires, with a focus on how nanoconfinement-based fabrication methods can be used to control phase and crystallinity. These growth methods lead to self-poled nanowires without the requirement for subsequent electrical poling, facilitat-ing their integration into triboelectric energy harvesting devices. Strategies to fabricate Nylon-11 nanowires for applications in triboelectric devices can be extended to other polymeric families as well.