Rationally patterned electrode of direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators for ultrahigh effective surface charge density

Abstract As a new-era of energy harvesting technology, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been invented to convert randomly distributed mechanical energy into electric power for Internet of Things (IoTs) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Enhancement of the triboelectric charge density is crucial for its large-scale commercialization. Here, a microstructure-designed direct-current TENG (MDC-TENG) with rationally patterned electrode structure is presented to enhance its effective surface charge density by increasing the efficiency of contact electrification, which achieves a record high charge density of ~5.4 mC m-2 (more than 2 times of the best value reported). The MDC-TENG realizes both the miniaturized device and high output performance. Meanwhile, its effective charge density can be further improved as the device size increases. Our work not only provides a miniaturization strategy of TENG for the application in IoTs and AI as energy supply or self-powered sensor, but also presents a paradigm shift of the large-scale energy harvesting by TENGs.

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Rationally patterned electrode of direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators for ultrahigh effective surface charge density

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-20045-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhihao Zhao ◽

Yejing Dai ◽

Di Liu ◽

Linglin Zhou ◽

Shaoxin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Direct Current ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

Large Scale ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Electrode Structure ◽

Effective Surface ◽

Self Powered

AbstractAs a new-era of energy harvesting technology, the enhancement of triboelectric charge density of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is always crucial for its large-scale application on Internet of Things (IoTs) and artificial intelligence (AI). Here, a microstructure-designed direct-current TENG (MDC-TENG) with rationally patterned electrode structure is presented to enhance its effective surface charge density by increasing the efficiency of contact electrification. Thus, the MDC-TENG achieves a record high charge density of ~5.4 mC m−2, which is over 2-fold the state-of-art of AC-TENGs and over 10-fold compared to previous DC-TENGs. The MDC-TENG realizes both the miniaturized device and high output performance. Meanwhile, its effective charge density can be further improved as the device size increases. Our work not only provides a miniaturization strategy of TENG for the application in IoTs and AI as energy supply or self-powered sensor, but also presents a paradigm shift for large-scale energy harvesting by TENGs.

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Predicting the Output of a Triboelectric Energy Harvester Undergoing Mechanical Pressure

Volume 2: Modeling, Simulation and Control; Bio-Inspired Smart Materials and Systems; Energy Harvesting ◽

10.1115/smasis2016-9157 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Danial Sharifi Kia ◽

Shahrzad Towfighian ◽

Congrui Jin

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Model ◽

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

High Energy ◽

Interfacial Structure ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Contact Behavior ◽

Interfacial Structures

Energy harvesting using a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been a major area of research in the recent years in order to harvest mechanical energy in different scales. High energy conversion efficiency, broad range of application in different systems and relatively easy fabrication process are among the factors demonstrating essential needs for TENG technology development. Performance of a TENG could be affected by many factors such as the frequency of vibration and the surface charge density. As a key factor in improving the power output of TENGs, surface charge density could be modified by the selection of proper charging materials and by increasing the contact area between the tribo-pairs. Although there have been numerous studies analyzing the performance of different tribo-pairs and different interfacial structures for a TENG, a systematical analysis of the contact phenomena between the interfacial structures in order to investigate the effects of different surface properties and structures such as, surface roughness, dielectric properties or the presence of nanostructures is still not available. In the current study, systematical numerical simulations have been performed on the adhesive contact behavior of the macro/nanostructures at the TENG interface. An interaction potential has been used to represent the adhesive interactions while surface deformations are coupled using half-space Green’s function. Furthermore, effects of the deformation of the interfacial structure on the performance and output of the TENG has been investigated by developing a theoretical model for a vertical-contact-mode TENG using a mass-spring system to represent the motion of the moving electrode. Coupling the theoretical model to the instantaneous deformation of the interfacial structure, real-time output of the TENG in terms of short-circuit voltage and open-circuit current has been studied in response to a predefined pressure input. The results of the current study demonstrate the effects of the deformation of the interfacial structure on the output characteristics of TENGs during the transition between partial-contact to full-contact modes. Numerical simulation results represent acceptable correlations with previously reported experimental data. The simulation package developed in this study is capable of simulating the contact behavior of the interfacial structure and predicting the deformed geometry.

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A multi-dielectric-layered triboelectric nanogenerator as energized by corona discharge

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c7nr02249b ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (27) ◽

pp. 9668-9675 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Jia Jia Shao ◽

Wei Tang ◽

Tao Jiang ◽

Xiang Yu Chen ◽

Liang Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Corona Discharge ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

High Surface ◽

Cycling Stability ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Excellent Cycling Stability ◽

Vertical Contact ◽

High Surface Charge Density

A multi-dielectric-layered vertical contact-separation mode TENG through a corona discharge approach results in outstanding output performances, i.e., a high surface charge density of 283 μC m−2 and excellent cycling stability (92.6% retention after 200 000 cycles).

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Derivation of equations which relate the effective surface charge density of a dielectric or electret to measurable parameters

Journal of Applied Physics ◽

10.1063/1.323737 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 1372-1374 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. W. Mankin ◽

P. S. Callahan

Keyword(s):

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

Effective Surface

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High Performance Temperature Difference Triboelectric Nanogenerator

10.21203/rs.3.rs-65933/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bolang Cheng ◽

Qi Xu ◽

Yaqin Ding ◽

Suo Bai ◽

Xiaofeng Jia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Temperature ◽

Charge Density ◽

Surface Charge ◽

Temperature Difference ◽

Surface Charge Density ◽

Thermionic Emission ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Emission Model ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Output Performance

Abstract Usually, high temperature decreases the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) because of the dissipation of triboelectric charges through the thermionic emission. It would be highly valuable if the high temperature can be used to enhance the output performance of TENG. In this paper, through a simulation combining the electron-cloud-potential-well model for triboelectrification and the thermionic-emission model, we find that there exists an optimum temperature difference ∆T between friction layers under which the output of TENG is maximum. Based on this, a type of contact-separation temperature difference TENG with controllable friction layer temperature (TDNG) is designed and fabricated to enhance the electrical output performance in temperature difference environment. As the temperature difference ∆T increasing from 0 K to 145 K, the output voltage, current, the surface charge density and output power are increased 2.7, 2.2, 3.0 and 2.9 times, respectively (from 315 V, 9.1 μA, 47 nC/m2, 69 μW to 858 V, 20 μA, 0.14 μC/m2, 206.7 μW). Then with the continuous increase of ∆T to 219 K, the surface charge density and output performance gradually decrease. At the optimal temperature difference (145 K), the biggest output current density (396 μA/cm2) has been obtained, which is 13% larger than the reported record value (350 μA/cm2).

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Triboelectric nanogenerators as new energy technology and self-powered sensors – Principles, problems and perspectives

Faraday Discussions ◽

10.1039/c4fd00159a ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 176 ◽

pp. 447-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 590

Author(s):

Zhong Lin Wang

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Charge Density ◽

Energy Conversion ◽

Daily Life ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Ocean Waves ◽

Human Motion ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Standard Material ◽

Self Powered

Triboelectrification is one of the most common effects in our daily life, but it is usually taken as a negative effect with very limited positive applications. Here, we invented a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on organic materials that is used to convert mechanical energy into electricity. The TENG is based on the conjunction of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, and it utilizes the most common materials available in our daily life, such as papers, fabrics, PTFE, PDMS, Al, PVCetc.In this short review, we first introduce the four most fundamental modes of TENG, based on which a range of applications have been demonstrated. The area power density reaches 1200 W m−2, volume density reaches 490 kW m−3, and an energy conversion efficiency of ∼50–85% has been demonstrated. The TENG can be applied to harvest all kinds of mechanical energy that is available in our daily life, such as human motion, walking, vibration, mechanical triggering, rotation energy, wind, a moving automobile, flowing water, rain drops, tide and ocean waves. Therefore, it is a new paradigm for energy harvesting. Furthermore, TENG can be a sensor that directly converts a mechanical triggering into a self-generated electric signal for detection of motion, vibration, mechanical stimuli, physical touching, and biological movement. After a summary of TENG for micro-scale energy harvesting, mega-scale energy harvesting, and self-powered systems, we will present a set of questions that need to be discussed and explored for applications of the TENG. Lastly, since the energy conversion efficiencies for each mode can be different although the materials are the same, depending on the triggering conditions and design geometry. But one common factor that determines the performance of all the TENGs is the charge density on the two surfaces, the saturation value of which may independent of the triggering configurations of the TENG. Therefore, the triboelectric charge density or the relative charge density in reference to a standard material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) can be taken as a measuring matrix for characterizing the performance of the material for the TENG.

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