Photonics skin based on persistent triboelectrification-induced electroluminescence for self-powered handwriting recognition

Abstract Recent advancements in triboelectrification-induced electroluminescence (TIEL) have demonstrated significant potential for self-powered electronic skins. However, overcoming the transient emission limitations of existing TIEL technologies remains a key challenge. This study combines a long-afterglow phosphor, BaSi 2 O 2 N 2 :Eu, with electroluminescent ZnS:Cu in a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) nanofiber matrix to fabricate a novel self-driven afterglow TIEL device (SD-ATD). The SD-ATD exhibits a long afterglow (≥13 s) under intermittent stimulation, along with enhanced TIEL intensity. The triboelectric-induced photoelectric synergy enables stable electrical output and effective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, a wireless note recognition application was developed by combining convolutional neural network technology with an accuracy rate of 94.6%. This study establishes a critical foundation for advancing next-generation self-powered visual sensing systems, demonstrating promising potential for widespread adoption in emerging technological domains such as interactive electronic skin and intelligent human-machine interfaces.