tribotronics
{{Short description|Interaction of triboelectricity and semiconductor band structure.}}
{{Technical|date=February 2023}}
{{Unbalanced|date=June 2023}}
Tribotronics is about the research on interaction between triboelectricity and semiconductor, which is using triboelectric potential controlling electrical transport and transformation in semiconductors for information sensing and active control (info-tribotronics), and using semiconductors managing triboelectric power transfer and conversion in circuits for power management and efficient utilization (power-tribotronics).{{Cite journal |last1=Xi |first1=Fengben |last2=Pang |first2=Yaokun |last3=Li |first3=Wei |last4=Jiang |first4=Tao |last5=Zhang |first5=Limin |last6=Guo |first6=Tong |last7=Liu |first7=Guoxu |last8=Zhang |first8=Chi |last9=Wang |first9=Zhong Lin |date=2017-07-01 |title=Universal power management strategy for triboelectric nanogenerator |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285517302999 |journal=Nano Energy |language=en |volume=37 |pages=168–176 |doi=10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.05.027 |issn=2211-2855|url-access=subscription }}
Definition
File:Schematic diagram showing the coupling between triboelectricity and semiconductor..jpg
The tribotronics can be divided into info-tribotronics and power-tribotronics. The tribotronic devices, such as tribotronic transistor,{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Chi |last2=Tang |first2=Wei |last3=Zhang |first3=Limin |last4=Han |first4=Changbao |last5=Wang |first5=Zhong Lin |date=2014-08-26 |title=Contact Electrification Field-Effect Transistor |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/nn5039806 |journal=ACS Nano |language=en |volume=8 |issue=8 |pages=8702–8709 |doi=10.1021/nn5039806 |pmid=25119657 |issn=1936-0851|url-access=subscription }} contact-gated OLED,{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Chi |last2=Li |first2=Jing |last3=Han |first3=Chang Bao |last4=Zhang |first4=Li Min |last5=Chen |first5=Xiang Yu |last6=Wang |first6=Li Duo |last7=Dong |first7=Gui Fang |last8=Wang |first8=Zhong Lin |date=September 2015 |title=Organic Tribotronic Transistor for Contact-Electrification-Gated Light-Emitting Diode |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201502450 |journal=Advanced Functional Materials |language=en |volume=25 |issue=35 |pages=5625–5632 |doi=10.1002/adfm.201502450|s2cid=53368696 |doi-access=free }} touch memory,{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Jing |last2=Zhang |first2=Chi |last3=Duan |first3=Lian |last4=Zhang |first4=Li Min |last5=Wang |first5=Li Duo |last6=Dong |first6=Gui Fang |last7=Wang |first7=Zhong Lin |date=January 2016 |title=Flexible Organic Tribotronic Transistor Memory for a Visible and Wearable Touch Monitoring System |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201504424 |journal=Advanced Materials |language=en |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=106–110 |doi=10.1002/adma.201504424|pmid=26540390 |s2cid=31964825 |url-access=subscription }} wind-enhanced photocell,{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Chi |last2=Zhang |first2=Zhao Hua |last3=Yang |first3=Xiang |last4=Zhou |first4=Tao |last5=Han |first5=Chang Bao |last6=Wang |first6=Zhong Lin |date=April 2016 |title=Tribotronic Phototransistor for Enhanced Photodetection and Hybrid Energy Harvesting |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201504919 |journal=Advanced Functional Materials |language=en |volume=26 |issue=15 |pages=2554–2560 |doi=10.1002/adfm.201504919|s2cid=138579005 |url-access=subscription }} sliding tunable diode,{{Cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Tao |last2=Yang |first2=Zhi Wei |last3=Pang |first3=Yaokun |last4=Xu |first4=Liang |last5=Zhang |first5=Chi |last6=Wang |first6=Zhong Lin |date=2017-01-24 |title=Tribotronic Tuning Diode for Active Analog Signal Modulation |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.6b07446 |journal=ACS Nano |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=882–888 |doi=10.1021/acsnano.6b07446 |pmid=28001357 |issn=1936-0851|url-access=subscription }} tactile sensing array,{{Cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Zhi Wei |last2=Pang |first2=Yaokun |last3=Zhang |first3=Limin |last4=Lu |first4=Cunxin |last5=Chen |first5=Jian |last6=Zhou |first6=Tao |last7=Zhang |first7=Chi |last8=Wang |first8=Zhong Lin |date=2016-12-27 |title=Tribotronic Transistor Array as an Active Tactile Sensing System |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.6b05507 |journal=ACS Nano |language=en |volume=10 |issue=12 |pages=10912–10920 |doi=10.1021/acsnano.6b05507 |pmid=28024389 |issn=1936-0851|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Cao |first1=Yuanzhi |last2=Bu |first2=Tianzhao |last3=Fang |first3=Chunlong |last4=Zhang |first4=Chao |last5=Huang |first5=Xiaodong |last6=Zhang |first6=Chi |date=August 2020 |title=High‐Resolution Monolithic Integrated Tribotronic InGaZnO Thin‐Film Transistor Array for Tactile Detection |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202002613 |journal=Advanced Functional Materials |language=en |volume=30 |issue=35 |pages=2002613 |doi=10.1002/adfm.202002613 |s2cid=225358833 |issn=1616-301X|url-access=subscription }} stretchable transistor{{Cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Junqing |last2=Bu |first2=Tianzhao |last3=Zhang |first3=Xiaohan |last4=Pang |first4=Yaokun |last5=Li |first5=Wenjian |last6=Zhang |first6=Zhi |last7=Liu |first7=Guoxu |last8=Wang |first8=Zhong Lin |last9=Zhang |first9=Chi |date=2020-06-24 |title=Intrinsically Stretchable Organic-Tribotronic-Transistor for Tactile Sensing |journal=Research |language=en |volume=2020 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.34133/2020/1398903 |pmc=7333181 |pmid=32676585|bibcode=2020Resea202098903Z }} and nanoscale transistor{{Cite journal |last1=Bu |first1=Tianzhao |last2=Xu |first2=Liang |last3=Yang |first3=Zhiwei |last4=Yang |first4=Xiang |last5=Liu |first5=Guoxu |last6=Cao |first6=Yuanzhi |last7=Zhang |first7=Chi |last8=Wang |first8=Zhong Lin |date=2020-02-26 |title=Nanoscale triboelectrification gated transistor |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1054 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-14909-6 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7044230 |pmid=32103025|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.1054B }} have all demonstrated controlled electronics by triboelectric potential for information sensing and active control, which are belonging to info-tribotronics. On the other hand, the power-tribotronics can demonstrate manageable triboelectric power by electronics for power management and efficient utilization, such as the tribotronic energy extractor,{{Cite journal |last1=Xi |first1=Fengben |last2=Pang |first2=Yaokun |last3=Li |first3=Wei |last4=Jiang |first4=Tao |last5=Zhang |first5=Limin |last6=Guo |first6=Tong |last7=Liu |first7=Guoxu |last8=Zhang |first8=Chi |last9=Wang |first9=Zhong Lin |date=2017-07-01 |title=Universal power management strategy for triboelectric nanogenerator |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285517302999 |journal=Nano Energy |language=en |volume=37 |pages=168–176 |doi=10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.05.027 |issn=2211-2855|url-access=subscription }} the power management module,{{Cite journal |last1=Xi |first1=Fengben |last2=Pang |first2=Yaokun |last3=Liu |first3=Guoxu |last4=Wang |first4=Shuwei |last5=Li |first5=Wei |last6=Zhang |first6=Chi |last7=Wang |first7=Zhong Lin |date=2019-07-01 |title=Self-powered intelligent buoy system by water wave energy for sustainable and autonomous wireless sensing and data transmission |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285519303271 |journal=Nano Energy |language=en |volume=61 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.04.026 |s2cid=146703652 |issn=2211-2855|url-access=subscription }} and so on.
Mechanism
As a fundamental info-tribotronic unit, contact electrification field-effect transistor (CE-FET) composed of a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) without top-gate electrode and a mobile layer is analyzed.{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Chi |last2=Tang |first2=Wei |last3=Zhang |first3=Limin |last4=Han |first4=Changbao |last5=Wang |first5=Zhong Lin |date=2014-08-26 |title=Contact Electrification Field-Effect Transistor |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/nn5039806 |journal=ACS Nano |language=en |volume=8 |issue=8 |pages=8702–8709 |doi=10.1021/nn5039806 |pmid=25119657 |issn=1936-0851|url-access=subscription }} Different from the conventional MOSFET, the externally applied gate voltage source is replaced by the mobile layer, which can vertically contact to and separate from the insulator layer by the external force. When the fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film contacts with the insulator layer, the SiO2 has positive charges while the FEP has negative charges. When the mobile layer gradually separated, a positive inner gate voltage for the MOSFET is generated. Therefore, a depletion zone will be formed, which will decrease the channel width and thus the drain current. The CE-FET can be considered as the coupling of the MOSFET and TENG, in which the inner gate voltage can be generated and the carrier transport between drain and source can be tuned/controlled by the external contact instead of the conventional gate voltage.
File:Working mechanism for power-tribotronics.jpg
To understand the potential maximal energy of TENG and develop the power management strategy, the cycles for maximized energy output of TENG (CMEO) are first elaborated. The output energy of TENG in one cycle E can be expressed in U-Q plot and calculated as the encircled area of the closed loop, where U is the built-up voltage and Q is the transferred charge. Meanwhile, the encircled area can be enlarged for CMEO by using a sequential switch. Although the energy could be maximally released to the resistor, the voltage is still a pulse high voltage that is not enough for directly powering the electronics. Therefore, the pulse high voltage should be converted to a steady low DC voltage, in which a classical DC–DC buck convertor is integrated to form an AC–DC buck conversion circuit. The DC–DC buck convertor is composed of a parallel freewheeling diode, a serial inductor, and a parallel capacitor that are connected in sequence between the switch and the resistor.