Toward Large-Scale Energy Harvesting by a Nanoparticle-Enhanced Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

This article describes a simple, cost-effective, and scalable approach to fabricate a triboelectric nanogenerator (NG) with ultrahigh electric output. Triggered by commonly available ambient mechanical energy such as human footfalls, a NG with size smaller than a human palm can generate maximum short-circuit current of 2 mA, delivering instantaneous power output of 1.2 W to external load. The power output corresponds to an area power density of 313 W/m(2) and a volume power density of 54,268 W/m(3) at an open-circuit voltage of ~1200 V. An energy conversion efficiency of 14.9% has been achieved. The power was capable of instantaneously lighting up as many as 600 multicolor commercial LED bulbs. The record high power output for the NG is attributed to optimized structure, proper materials selection and nanoscale surface modification. This work demonstrated the practicability of using NG to harvest large-scale mechanical energy, such as footsteps, rolling wheels, wind power, and ocean waves.

Flutter-driven triboelectrification for harvesting wind energy

“…Since both the PTFE surface and the woven flexible electrode have a regular micropattern on the surface shown in Fig. 1a, a larger applied force will enhance the microscale contact area between them, resulting in a higher surface charge density 34,35 . As the flow velocity increases, the fluttering motion becomes chaotic and an irregular spanwise directional bending of the flutter motion can also be observed, which can increase the effective contactpropagation region unpredictably.…”

Cost Effective Fabrication of a Triboelectric Energy Harvester Using Soft Lithography

“…The electrical performance of energy harvesters proves the basic concept and can further be improved using surface structures of nano-roughness [15] and multi stacking the energy harvesters [16]. Since the soft lithography and roll-to-roll imprinting are capable of providing required resolution in nanoscale, we believe that the fabrication concept used herein can be used to improve the electrical output further.…”

Influence of MWCNTs on β-Phase PVDF and Triboelectric Properties

“…Generally, the -phase of the crystalline structure of PVDF can be enhanced by either mechanical deformation in the uniaxial or biaxial directions or application of a highly intense electric field to the PVDF film above its glass transition temperature [9][10][11]. As a new energy harvesting technology, contact-electrification based energy conversion devices, that is, triboelectric nanogenerators, have been developed in such a way that they can achieve high efficiency for producing large output power as well as easy fabrication [12][13][14]. In addition, triboelectric performance can be enhanced by regulating the surface morphology.…”