High-Performance Polyimide-Based Water–Solid Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Hydropower Harvesting

Abstract

Water−solid triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are insensitive to ambient humidity, providing a wide range of possibilities for designing stable waterenergy-based harvesters and self-powered sensors. However, the wide application of most water−solid TENGs has been limited by low triboelectrification performance. To boost the output performance of water−solid TENGs, a newly structured TENG has been developed by adding a polyimide (PI) as a charge storage intermediate layer between the friction layer and the conducting layer, significantly improving the output performance (1.260 mW), with a 5-fold increase compared to the water−solid TENG without the PI intermediate layer (0.234 mW). This analysis shows that adding an intermediate layer with a high density of electron capture sites to the TENG results in more triboelectric charge being retained, thereby improving the electrical performance of TENG. The electrical performance of TENG is related to the thickness of the PI layer, but this is not a positive correlation. Contact angles and falling heights between the droplet and the device also affect the output performance. Finally, the water−solid PI-TENG we have developed has promise in hydropower harvesting capabilities and can be used to power warning signals on a dark and rainy night to ensure the safety of people.

A Water‐Driven and Low‐Damping Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Agricultural Debris for Smart Agriculture

“…[ 6 ] The invention of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) provides a new idea to alleviate the energy tension in agriculture. [ 7 ] Based on the principles of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, [ 8 ] TENGs can well transform the random and irregular mechanical energy from the agricultural environment into electrical energy, such as raindrop energy, [ 9 ] water‐flow energy, [ 10 ] wind energy, [ 11 ] and so on, [ 12 ] which is sufficient to drive low‐power systems or devices. [ 13 ] Therefore, it is possible to use TENGs to harvest mechanical energy from the agricultural environment to power agro‐sensors.…”

Electrospun Polyimide Nanofiber-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Energy at Elevated Temperatures

“…In addition, some flame-retardant materials as TENG tribolayers have been used in fire safety, such as poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with flame-retardant polyelectrolyte, flame-retardant conductive cotton fabric, and hierarchical porous bamboo/polyaniline . Compared with other high-temperature-resistant polymers, polyimide (PI) has been widely used as a tribonegative material for TENGs due to its excellent triboelectric negativity. − On the other hand, PI also has excellent mechanical properties and exhibits superior thermal stability at elevated temperatures. Sun et al based on high-temperature BiFeO 3 -BaTiO 3 piezoelectric ceramic particles and the PI matrix fabricated a piezoelectric–triboelectric hybrid energy-harvesting device, which generates an open-circuit voltage of 150 V and a short-circuit current of 560 nA at 200 °C.…”

The effect of metal surface nanomorphology on the output performance of a TENG

“…They generate current by collecting tiny amounts of energy and supply power for microelectronic devices and sensors. Wind energy [18][19][20][21], water wave energy [22,23], acoustic energy [24,25], and energy generated by human activities [26,27] can be collected and effectively converted into electrical energy for medical, meteorological, and other applications. A new type of TENG with environmental protection, high reliability and low cost is being actively developed [28][29][30][31][32].…”