A high-efficiency bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated nanogenerator

Sicheng Liu,Guilin Zhou,Wenlong Song,Fuxiang Qin,Xi Liu,Zhuangzhi Sun,Mingxing Jing,Lin Li

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19987-0

Sicheng Liu, Guilin Zhou + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19987-0

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Abstract

Currently, the key challenge in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is how to efficiently enhance the surface charge density. Here, a new strategy is proposed to increase the surface charge density by comprehensively utilizing solar energy and tidal energy, and a bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated TENG (Pem-iTENG) is developed. This enhancement of output performance is greatly attributed to the accumulation of photoelectrons from photocatalysis and the triboelectric negative charges from contact electrification. Pem-iTENG shows a maximal open-circuit voltage of 124.2 V and a maximal short-circuit current density of 221.6 μA cm−2 under tidal wave and sunlight, an improvement by nearly a factor of 10 over that of reported TENGs based on solid-liquid contact electrification. More importantly, it exhibits a high energy conversion efficiency according to the evaluation method for solar cells. This work provides insights into development of high-performance TENGs by using different natural energy sources.

Highlights

The key challenge in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is how to efficiently enhance the surface charge density
The designed PemiTENG has a surface topology consisting of bionic cilia covered with TiO2/PANI (Supplementary Figs. 1, 2 and Supplementary Note 1, 2)
In summary, we proposed a bioinspired Pem-iTENG based on solid-liquid contact electrification

Summary

Introduction

The key challenge in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is how to efficiently enhance the surface charge density. A new strategy is proposed to increase the surface charge density by comprehensively utilizing solar energy and tidal energy, and a bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated TENG (Pem-iTENG) is developed This enhancement of output performance is greatly attributed to the accumulation of photoelectrons from photocatalysis and the triboelectric negative charges from contact electrification. Pem-iTENG shows a maximal open-circuit voltage of 124.2 V and a maximal short-circuit current density of 221.6 μA cm−2 under tidal wave and sunlight, an improvement by nearly a factor of 10 over that of reported TENGs based on solid-liquid contact electrification It exhibits a high energy conversion efficiency according to the evaluation method for solar cells. We propose a new strategy to enhance the surface charge density by comprehensively utilizing solar energy and tidal energy, and develop a high-efficiency bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (Pem-iTENG) based on solid-liquid contact electrification. This work demonstrates a photoelectric-electromechanical integrated energy conversion technology, and proposes insights into the development of high-performance TENGs by using different natural energy sources

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Conclusion