An information display and encrypted transmission system based on a triboelectric nanogenerator and a cholesteric liquid crystal

Abstract

With the development of the economy and science, information technology has become increasingly integrated into modern life, making information encryption crucial. The molecular arrangement of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) exhibits a unique helical structure, which provides excellent bistability. This molecular arrangement can be changed under the action of an electric field, consequently changing the transmittance of light. The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a novel energy-harvesting system that can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy to power small devices. In this research, the optical properties of a CLC and the energy independence of a TENG were utilized to support an information encryption system for data security, and in this paper, a feather-based, horizontal, sliding TENG that offers a voltage range adjustable between 30 and 300 V to facilitate switching between the planar and the focal cone textures of CLCs is proposed. Moreover, when a self-powered CLC was combined with a convolutional neural network, the accuracy of message transmission reached more than 98 %; thus, a message encryption transmission system with good portability and low cost was realized.