Triboelectric based smart ceramic tiles

Abstract

With the exponential development of the Internet of Things (IoTs), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI), smart home technologies have become crucial to people's lives and the construction of smart cities, driving an increasing demand for distributed sensors. In this work, we have for the first time successfully fabricated smart ceramic tiles (SCTs) that integrate electrodes with ceramic tiles using a layer-by-layer temperature gradient sintering method. These SCTs, which are based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology, not only demonstrate high sensitivity and good stability, but also offer the potential for high concealment by adjusting glaze composition and color. Under various motion triggers, the SCTs produced high-discrimination electrical output signals, which proves their potential in behavior recognition. Extreme environmental tests further confirmed the SCTs' superior responsiveness. A wireless security monitoring system for SCT sensing, which was developed using IoT chips, enables remote monitoring via mobile devices. This study not only demonstrates the commercial feasibility of SCTs but also highlights their immense potential for imperceptible monitoring within the smart home domain.