A Wearable Triboelectric‐Iontronic Hybrid Smart Finger Ring with Self‐Powered Static‐Dynamic Tactile Sensing for Advanced Human‐Machine Interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Technological advancement has heightened the desire for natural and intuitive human‐machine interactions (HMIs), driving innovation in wearable devices. Inspired by human skin, this study unveils a hybrid smart finger‐ring (HSF‐Ring) that integrates a bifunctional nanofiller‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (BN‐TENG) and an iontronic pressure sensor (IPS), achieving advanced sensory capabilities to detect both dynamic and static pressures that are essential for mimicking skin‐like functionality in a self‐powered manner. Leveraging a bifunctional‐nanofiller of functionalized‐hybrid nanoporous carbon (F‐HNPC) within a silicone matrix, BN‐TENG exhibits significantly enhanced dielectric properties, charge‐trapping efficiency, and induction capacity due to the extensive surface area, nanoporosity, and conductivity of F‐HNPC, whereas cone‐shaped microstructures further amplify dynamic response and wearer comfort without additional spacers with skin. Consequently, BN‐TENG achieves a superior power density of 0.82 W/m 2 , a three‐fold higher than pure silicone‐based TENG. Furthermore, integration with an IPS, fabricated using laser‐scribed graphene electrodes and ionic‐liquid‐infused nanofibrous membrane sensing layer, enables precise self‐powered static‐dynamic pressure detection. The highly integrated HSF‐Ring demonstrates an excellent dynamic (2.41 V/kPa) and static (−99.84 mV/kPa) sensitivities in the low‐pressure range with excellent linearity. This innovative device significantly advances wearable HMIs, showing the potential for transformative applications, including robotic control, sign language interpretation, and virtual reality interaction.