Triboiontronics for Efficient Energy and Information Flow

SUMMARYInformation flow in the central nervous system consumes little energy, and nerve impulses are carried through by the conduction of ions within the electric double layer (EDL). The EDL structure has been investigated for over a century, but how to finetune it remains a challenge. Here, dynamic regulations of charge carriers in EDL at the insulator-liquid interface were achieved by contact electrification (CE), forming triboiontronics. Firstly, the ionic charge density in the nano-confined diffuse layer of EDL could be regulated by CE-induced charged water mist. It enables an efficient direct-current triboiontronic nanogenerator (DC-TING), generating an ultra-high peak power density of 126.40 W/m2, several orders of magnitude over its triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) peers. Furthermore, the polarity of the ionic charge in the diffuse layer could be adjusted through controlling the charge distribution in the sub-nano-confined Stern layer of EDL by CE-induced electric fields. It could achieve bidirectional ionic-electronic signal conversion to build up a bionic neurologic circuit potentially for neuromorphic computing. Through dynamic EDL regulation, the polarity (positive or negative), quantity, and type (ionic or electric) of charge could be finetuned in triboiontronics, which provides a versatile paradigm for various perspective applications in efficient energy harvesting and neuromorphic self-powered in-sensor computing.