Comparative analysis of variation in macroscopic design process parameters of triboelectric nanogenerators

Abstract

Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) are novel energy harvesting devices capable of harvesting energy from ambient surroundings by the contact-induced triboelectric charge transfer across two dissimilar materials attached to separate electrode plates. These charges get transferred due to the relative motion between the two plates. The use of TENGs in various applications ranging from self-powered sensors to large-scale energy generation plants has stirred up tremendous interest in favour of TENGs. Though numerous types of modifications have been proposed at the microscopic level, there have been limited studies into the effect of macroscopic process parameters on the output generated. This paper aims to study the effect of macroscopic parameters such as area, thickness, and load–frequency on the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current. A pneumatic piston set-up capable of emulating the vertical contact separation between two triboelectric materials polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Kapton (poly (4,4′-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide)) was fabricated. The results are analysed using Taguchi's (L16) statistical optimization technique and Analysis of variance method (ANOVA), and also the best combination of factors and levels are predicted. Based on the analysis, it is predicted that the TENG combination with 81 cm2 area, 4.5 Hz frequency, and thickness of 0.2 mm yields the highest output. In conclusion, the Taguchi optimization technique can be used to predict the optimal combination of the macro-level parameters to maximize the current and voltage generated according to the specific application of TENG.