The tribovoltaic effect

<p indent="0mm">Triboelectrification (CE) is a universal phenomenon between any two materials interface. Among them, the triboelectric between semiconductors has unique properties. When a p-type semiconductor slides on an n-type semiconductor surface, the chemical bond between the two material interfaces breaks and new chemical bonds are formed under the action of mechanical sliding, releasing energy “bindington” and exciting the electron-hole pairs at the semiconductor interface. The mechanical sliding excited electron-hole pairs separate under the action of the built-in electric field at the p-n junction and generate a direct current. This process is similar to the photovoltaic effect, so the phenomenon is called tribovoltaic effect. The only difference between the tribovoltaic effect and the photovoltaic effect is that the electron-hole pairs in the tribovoltaic effect are excited by mechanical sliding, while the photovoltaic effect is excited by photons. In this paper, the research progress of the tribovoltaic effect in recent years is reviewed, and the technology of tribovoltaic nanogenerator based on the tribovoltaic effect and its potential applications are elaborated. The tribovoltaic effect is an important part of contact electrification at the semiconductor interface, and its research not only contributes to a better understanding of the mechanism of contact electrification but also has the potential to advance the development and application of triboelectrification nanogenerators and semiconductors.