Search

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a new energy technology that is as important as traditional electromagnetic generator (EMG) for converting mechanical energy into electricity, which shows great advantages of simple structure, high power density and low-frequency. Here, the effects of motion amplitude for both generators are first taken into consideration. Our result demonstrates that the TENG has a much better performance than that of the EMG at small amplitude. Under fixed operation frequency, the maximum output power of the TENG rapidly grows to saturation with the increase of the amplitude, while that of the EMG grows slowly and gradually. This contrastive characteristic is verified at different frequencies, which has demonstrated that the TENG has dominant scope over the EMG, in not only low-frequency but also small-amplitude. Moreover, electronics powered by the TENG in small-amplitude has been exhibited and an overall comparison of the TENG and EMG is summarized. Beyond low-frequency, this work has verified the small-amplitude is also a remarkable merit of the TENG for harvesting micro-mechanical energy, which has guided the development prospects of TENG as a foundation of the energy for the new era for internet of things, wearable electronics, robotics and artificial intelligence. Image 1 • This is the first paper to compare the effects of motion amplitude for EMG and TENG, which demonstrates that the TENG has a much better performance than that of the EMG at small amplitude. • This contrastive characteristic is verified at different frequencies, which has demonstrated that the TENG has dominant scope over the EMG, in not only low-frequency but also small-amplitude. • An overall comparison of the TENG and EMG is summarized, in which the small-amplitude is also a remarkable merit of the TENG as a foundation of the energy for the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A stretchable electret achieves high surface charge and long charge stability. • A stretchable electret-based TENG achieves high charge density (0.2 mC m−2). • A power management module enhances power storage efficiency of the TENG. • The self-charging system provides a stable power supply for wearable electronics. Stretchable power sources capable of accommodating large deformations are urgently demanded for various stretchable and wearable electronics. In this work, we report a stretchable electret-based triboelectric nanogenerator (SEB-TENG) consisting of elastomeric electret as electrification materials and organo-hydrogels as electrodes. The electret elastomer, prepared by uniformly dispersing SiO 2 nanoparticles in the elastomer matrix and thermally injecting static charges, obtains a high surface potential, high tensile strain (796%), and long stability. Then, the SEB-TENG device also achieves high stretchability (423%) and high charge density (0.2 mC m−2). Furthermore, a power management module (PMM) is designed to maximize the energy utilization of the SEB-TENG. The integrated self-charging system can be sufficiently used to constantly power a watch, or charge a Li-ion coin cell which subsequently provides sustainable power supplies to a digital thermometer. This work provides a viable approach to simultaneously achieve high output performances and high stretchability of integrated power sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • H-SiO 2 and PF as fillers to improve the dielectric properties of PFS films. • The performance of TENGs delivered an enhancement by 13 times. • Multiple nanoscales is more favorable to achieve high performance of TENGs. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), capable of harvesting distributed energy from the environment, have provided a viable solution for self-powered wearable electronics. However, their low power density and susceptibility to contamination still severely limit their practical application. Herein, we reported a "two-step" strategy to implement a waterproof self-powered wearable electronic device based on TENG. Firstly, Perfluoropolyether (PF) and hollow hierarchical silica (H-SiO 2) as fillers significantly improve the dielectric properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite films (PFS films) through polarization effect. Then the nano bumps of 10–30 nm are created on the surface of the films by surface etching, the bumps can increase the contact area of TENG. The voltage of TENG is improved from ∼ 67 V to ∼ 910 V and the current is improved from ∼ 1 μA to ∼ 25 μA. What's more, the investigation of the surface structure of the PFS composite films by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) revealed that the synergistic combination of multiple nanoscales (10–30 nm, 60–80 nm, 300–500 nm) is more favorable to achieve high performance of TENG. The surface structure composed of multiple nanoscales endows PFS with excellent superhydrophobicity. The PFS films remained fine performance after 40,000 drops of water and 90 days. This work achieves high performance and water resistance of TENG, demonstrating great potential in the field of self-powered wearable electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact, springless, easy-to-process kirigami-inspired TENG (KI-TENG) is developed. The frequency responses of the KI-TENG under the influence of mass, acceleration, and initial distance are investigated in detail to optimize its structural design. Moreover, the TENG coupled with the kirigami structure could collect ultra-wide-band vibration energy and as a sensor measuring acceleration. [Display omitted] • A compact and springless kirigami-inspired TENG (KI-TENG) is developed. • The frequency response characteristics of the KI-TENG are investigated. • The KI-TENG can harvest ultra-wide-band vibration energy from 2 to 49 Hz. • The output of the KI-TENG at different vibration tilt angles is explored. • The KI-TENG can effectively monitor acceleration changes from 1 to 9 m/s2. Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) based on spring-assisted structures play a central role in scavenging vibrational energy that is widely available in the natural environment. However, they suffer from difficulties in adjusting the stiffness and bonding the springs to the triboelectric layer. Here, a kirigami-inspired TENG (KI-TENG) with a kirigami structure is demonstrated, which can be used as an ultra-wide-band vibrational energy harvester and self-powered acceleration sensor. The triboelectric layer of the KI-TENG can be easily processed into the kirigami structure with one or two-degree-of-freedom by laser cutting technology. The frequency responses of the KI-TENG under the influence of mass, acceleration, and initial distance are investigated in detail to optimize the structural design. With optimized structural parameters, the KI-TENG can not only harvest broadband vibration energy from 2 to 49 Hz in vertical vibration state but also obtain high output performance over a wide frequency range in horizontal vibration state. Moreover, the KI-TENG can be used as a sensor measuring acceleration from 1 to 9 m/s2. This work demonstrates a compact TENG coupled with the kirigami structure for energy harvesting and active sensing, which has great prospects in intelligent plants, artificial intelligence, and the internet age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]