Design and Optimization of a MEMS Triboelectric Energy Harvester for Nano-sensor Applications

A novel optimized design of a triboelectric vibrational energy harvester having small MEMS scale size and low mass is presented in this work. The triboelectric energy harvester is designed to harvest energy from high frequency mechanical vibrations of machineries such as the skin of an aircraft. The novelty of this work lies in the integrated design and modeling of the energy harvester which enables it to be fabricated and packaged as a MEMS device in a traditional cleanroom environment. Dynamic optimization has been implemented on its geometric model to maximize the output power and power density. Simulation shows that at an acceleration magnitude of 9.8 ms-2 and operating frequency of 800 Hz, the device can generate an average power of 196.91 nW with surface and volume power densities of 13.1 mWm-2 and 1544.4 Wm-3, respectively. Due to its small size, low mass and comparatively high power density, this triboelectric energy harvester can have a significant impact in expanding the applications of the nano-sensors in wireless sensor nodes, in automobile industry, in space exploration programs, in micro- robotics and in prosthetics.