Freestanding Flag-Type Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting High-Altitude Wind Energy from Arbitrary Directions

Abstract

Wind energy at a high altitude is far more stable and stronger than that near the ground, but it is out of reach of the wind turbine. Herein, we develop an innovative freestanding woven triboelectric nanogenerator flag (WTENG-flag) that can harvest high-altitude wind energy from arbitrary directions. The wind-driven fluttering of the woven unit leads to the current generation by a coupled effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction. Systematic study is conducted to optimize the structure/material parameters of the WTENG-flag to improve the power output. This 2D WTENG-flag can also be stacked in parallel connections in many layers for a linearly increased output. Finally, a self-powered high-altitude platform with temperature/humidity sensing/telecommunicating capability is demonstrated with the WTENG-flag as a power source. Due to the light weight, low cost, and easy scale-up, this WTENG-flag has great potential for applications in weather/environmental sensing/monitoring systems.

Ultrastretchable, transparent triboelectric nanogenerator as electronic skin for biomechanical energy harvesting and tactile sensing

“…When the RH is about 70%, the V OC s of the PDMS-STENG and VHB-STENG are 20 and 43 V, respectively. In a humid environment, the adsorption of the water molecules will neutralize the surface electrostatic charges so that the output performances of the STENG will be degraded ( 17 ). …”

“…The TENG, converting mechanical energy into electricity based on the coupling effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, has been demonstrated to be versatile in harvesting different types of energies and has the advantages of simple structure, vast material choice, and low cost ( 17 – 22 ). Several stretchable TENGs have been recently reported ( 23 – 28 ) with similar strategy as most reported stretchable devices, which are enabled by anchoring percolated networks of conductive materials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon paste, silver nanowires, etc.)…”

Robust nanogenerators based on graft copolymers via control of dielectrics for remarkable output power enhancement

“…Although various strategies to enhance the output performance have been reported, an effective dielectric for creating the device with high performance should be developed because the output power is critically dependent on the density of the charges transferred ( 16 , 17 ). To date, various dielectric materials, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) ( 18 ), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) ( 19 ), polyimide (PI) ( 20 ), polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) ( 21 ), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) ( 22 ), have been used without any modifications, and the resulting electrical signals were extremely weak. Very recently, modification of properties, such as compressibility ( 16 ), surface potential ( 23 ), and hydrophobicity ( 24 ), in a few TENGs has been reported; however, most of them have focused of partial reports of the effects of output performance.…”

Effect of the relative permittivity of oxides on the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators

“…[1][2][3][4] A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which is a device that generates electricity from repetitive friction driven by the environment, has been introduced and studied as a solution for this purpose. 5 Studies reveal that TENGs have advantages such as a simple structure, high energy conversion efficiency and low cost, as well as the ability to produce sustainable and eco-friendly power.…”