Arrangement optimization of water-driven triboelectric nanogenerators considering capillary phenomenon between hydrophobic surfaces

Hong Ryul Park,Jae-Yoon Sim,Jeong-Won Lee,Woonbong Hwang,Dong Sung Kim,Insang Song

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-57851-9

Hong Ryul Park, Jae-Yoon Sim + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57851-9

Copy DOI

Abstract

The rise in environmental issues has stimulated research on alternative energy. In this regard, triboelectric generation has received much attention as one of several new alternative energy sources. Among the triboelectric generation methods, solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (SLTENGs) have been actively investigated owing to their durability and broad applicability. In this paper, we report on the optimum arrangement of SLTENGs to increase the generation of electrical energy. When hydrophobic SLTENGs are arranged in parallel with a specific intervening gap, the friction area between the water and the surface of the SLTENGs is changed owing to the different penetration distances of water between them. This difference affects the amount of triboelectricity generated; this change in the water contact area is caused by the capillary phenomenon. Therefore, we investigated the effect of the gap on water penetration and formulated an optimum arrangement to achieve optimum electricity generation efficiency when multiple SLTENGs are contained in a limited volume. The proposed optimum arrangement of SLTENGs is expected to have high utilization in energy harvesting from natural environment sources such as wave energy or water flow.

Highlights

The rise in environmental issues has stimulated research on alternative energy
We proposed an optimum arrangement for solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (SLTENGs) for improving the power generation from solid-liquid triboelectrification
When multiple SLTENGs are arranged to increase the contact area with the liquid, a narrow gap between the SLTENGs needs to be avoided to allow water to penetrate into the gap

Summary

Introduction

The rise in environmental issues has stimulated research on alternative energy. In this regard, triboelectric generation has received much attention as one of several new alternative energy sources. We developed an arrangement of TENGs that allows the most efficient energy output within a limited volume by considering the capillary effect. The gap between parallel-stacked solid-liquid TENGs (SLTENGs) that generates the maximum electrical output was investigated.

Results

Conclusion