Commercial Soccer Ball‐Integrated Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are representative mechanical energy harvesters that can easily generate electricity based on contact electrification and electrostatic induction. However, most TENGs have low mechanical and electrical output stabilities because of their unstable structures, in which separate TENG devices are attached to the outside surface of commercial products/items for application. Herein, a commercial soccer ball‐integrated TENG (CSB‐TENG) is proposed as a potential solution. The CSB‐TENG is designed with an electrode‐fully packaged all‐in‐one structure; thus, it can have remarkable mechanical and electrical output stability for 160 000 cycles. For one bouncing motion, the CSB‐TENG generates a maximum peak power of 480 μW. The working mechanism of the CSB‐TENG is established by considering the actual motion of a soccer ball (kicking, bouncing, and rolling). The electrical output of the CSB‐TENG is evaluated and analyzed based on various design and environmental variables (ball material, shoe material, ground material, impact force, ball drop height, and electrode size) in daily life. The CSB‐TENG demonstrates applications, including LED array illumination and capacitor charging tests.