Anisotropic PVDF/MXene Foam with Aligned Microchannels for High-Sensitivity Directional Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted significant attention as self-powered energy harvesting devices for wearable electronics and pressure sensors. In this study, aligned MXene/PVDF composite foams were fabricated using a directional freeze-casting process and applied as triboelectric layers to improve TENG performance. The morphology, crystal structure, dielectric properties, mechanical properties, and electrical output characteristics of the foams were systematically investigated.  Among the investigated samples, the 2 wt% MXene/PVDF foam exhibited the highest triboelectric performance, generating an open-circuit voltage of 32 V and a short-circuit current of 0.13 μA, corresponding to approximately 2.8-fold and 2.1-fold improvements compared to neat PVDF foam, respectively.  The aligned porous architecture and MXene-induced dielectric enhancement. These results demonstrate the potential of aligned MXene/PVDF foam-based TENGs for self-powered pressure sensing and mechanical energy harvesting applications.