Suman Mudu, Vijaykumar Chuncha, M. Navaneeth, Pembarthi Raju, Kamakshaiah Charyulu Devarayapalli, Raghu Chitta, Manjula G, Palash Mishra, Dae Sung Lee, Uday Kumar Khanapuram, Rakesh Kumar Rajaboina
Identifying triboelectric material pairs capable of delivering high performance remains a key challenge for advancing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technologies. To address the challenge, we have investigated a triboelectric pair comprising tribo-negative PDMS/MXene(Ti 3 C 2 T x ) with a potent tribo-positive material, triphenylamine–phenyl–benzothiazole (TPA-Ph-BTZ). In this work, the triboelectric propertiesof TPA-Ph-BTZ were first systematically determined by pairing it with a series of standard frictional materials, confirming that TPA-Ph-BTZ is tribo-positive. Building on our findings, we engineered PDMS/MXene composite films with varying MXene loadings and coupled them with TPA-Ph-BTZ to explore synergistic charge-generation mechanisms. Comprehensive measurements, including electrical output, surface potential, dielectric constant, and wettability, revealed that MXene reinforcement significantly enhances the charge-storage ability and effective contact behavior of PDMS. The TPA-Ph-BTZ-PDMS/MXene (2 wt %) TENG delivered the highest electrical output of ∼290 V, ∼100 μA, and a power density of 2.77 W/m 2 . The device also showed stable operation over 10,000 test cycles, confirming its mechanical robustness. Further, an optimized TENG was used in powering a series-connected 240 LEDs. Beyond energy harvesting, the high-voltage output of the TPA-Ph-BTZ–PDMS/MXene TENG is further demonstrated for self-powered activation of discharge tubes for neon, establishing an application pathway for triboelectric-driven discharge electronics. This study establishes TPA-Ph-BTZ–MXene/PDMS as a highly efficient triboelectric pairing, offering a design pathway for molecular-material-based TENGs.