A pitched roof-like hybrid piezo/triboelectric nanogenerator with reliable supply capability for building a self-powered industrial monitoring system

Abstract

As a result of increasingly stringent power supply requirements and diverse application scenarios, the development of hybrid nanogenerators that can combine multiple power generation modes has gradually become a hot research topic. In this work, the PR-HNG, a piezo/triboelectric hybrid nanogenerator based on a pitched roof structure, is proposed and is used efficiently to perform discrete mechanical energy harvesting. Using the flexible connection of its separated roof-like trigger mechanism, the PR-HNG operates through inertia under vibration conditions and achieves a satisfactory working state with very low mechanical loss. At 10 Hz, the instantaneous open-circuit voltage VOC and short-circuit current ISC of the PR-HNG can reach 800 V and 9.6 mA (1.60 A/m2), respectively, and no obvious attenuation occurs during high-intensity and long-term operation. After connection to a load via a rectifier bridge, the PR-HNG has a maximum power output of 575 μW/cm2 and can charge a 2 mF capacitor up to more than 2.5 V in only 30 s; these two performance parameters are better than the reported values for other similar types of HNG. In practical applications, this PR-HNG can easily drive more than 1440 commercial light-emitting diodes and can drive small electronic devices in real time. Therefore, the PR-HNG has been demonstrated to provide a credible and promising solution for fabrication of self-powered monitoring systems for use in industrial environments.