Recent Advances in Mechanical Vibration Energy Harvesters Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

With the development of autonomous/smart technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT), tremendous wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) are of great importance to realize intelligent mechanical engineering, which is significant in the industrial and social fields. However, current power supply methods, cable and battery for instance, face challenges such as layout difficulties, high cost, short life, and environmental pollution. Meanwhile, vibration is ubiquitous in machinery, vehicles, structures, etc., but has been regarded as an unwanted by‐product and wasted in most cases. Therefore, it is crucial to harvest mechanical vibration energy to achieve in situ power supply for these WSNs. As a recent energy conversion technology, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is particularly good at harvesting such broadband, weak, and irregular mechanical energy, which provides a feasible scheme for the power supply of WSNs. In this review, recent achievements of mechanical vibration energy harvesting (VEH) related to mechanical engineering based on TENG are systematically reviewed from the perspective of contact–separation (C‐S) and freestanding modes. Finally, existing challenges and forthcoming development orientation of the VEH based on TENG are discussed in depth, which will be conducive to the future development of intelligent mechanical engineering in the era of IoT.

Ultrasound-driven triboelectric and piezoelectric nanogenerators in biomedical application

“…TENG as having significant potential in the realms of personalized healthcare and mobile therapy [18,[58][59][60][61][62]. Moreover, the electrical signals generated by TENG have direct applications in the stimulation of biological cells, nerves, tissues, and organs for electrical stimulation (ES) therapy [62][63][64][65].…”

High Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio Event‐Driven MEMS Motion Sensing

“…The effect of mechanical and electrical parameters on the motion of the movable electrode has been an interesting topic for researchers. [38][39][40][41][42] This work introduces new geometric features for MEMS-TENG such as the gap created by the curled diaphragm and fixed boundary conditions instead of serpentine spring support. In this part, using the simulation results, we will delineate the effect of parameters that govern the physics of a microscale TENG device.…”

Boosting Free-Rotating Disk Triboelectric Nanogenerator through Alcohol-Soluble Nylon Film, Preventing Air Breakdown

“…This technology provides a sustainable power source by capturing energy from the environment based on triboelectric effects coupled with the electrostatic effect. 12 In particular, the TENG offers advantages such as lightweight and costeffectiveness, making it well-suited for harvesting various forms of energy, 13 including vibration energy, 14,15 human motion energy, 16−18 wind energy, 19,20 wave energy, 21 ocean current energy, 22 etc. 23 The TENG can be divided into four working modes in many applications: vertical contact-separation mode, in-plane sliding mode, single-electrode mode, and free-standing triboelectric-layer mode.…”

“…This technology provides a sustainable power source by capturing energy from the environment based on triboelectric effects coupled with the electrostatic effect . In particular, the TENG offers advantages such as lightweight and cost-effectiveness, making it well-suited for harvesting various forms of energy, including vibration energy, , human motion energy, − wind energy, , wave energy, ocean current energy, etc …”