Abstract
Triboelectric nanogenerators are widely used because of low cost, simple manufacturing process and high output performance. In this work, a flexible one-structure arched triboelectric nanogenerator (FOAT), based on common electrode to combine the single-electrode mode and contact-separation, was designed using silicone rubber, epoxy resin and flexible electrode. The peak-to-peak short circuit current of 18μA and the peak-to-peak open circuit voltage of 570V can be obtained from the FOAT with the size of 5×7 cm2 under the frequency of 3Hz and the pressure of 300N. The peak-to-peak short circuit current of FOAT is increased by 29% and 80%, and the peak-to-peak open circuit voltage is increased by 33% and 54% compared with single-electrode mode and contact-separation mode, respectively. FOAT realizes the combination of two generation modes, which improves the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). 62 light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) can be completely lit up and 2.2μF capacitor can be easily charged to 1.2V in 9s. When the FOAT is placed at different parts of the human body, the human motion energy can be harvested and be the sensing signal for motion monitoring sensor. Based on the above characteristics, FOAT exhibits great potential in illumination, power supplies for wearable electronic devices and self-powered motion monitoring sensor via harvesting the energy of human motion.
Highlights
With the popularity of electronic technology in daily life, wearable devices gradually tend to be miniaturized, intelligent and versatile, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear, NIKE+, Google glasses and so on.[1,2] Batteries used as traditional power supply for wearable devices are limited, it is difficult to ensure uninterrupted power supply for wearable devices
As a new energy harvesting method, considering its relatively high output voltage and easy fabrication process, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) have get attention by researchers, which have been widely applied in the harvesting of wind energy,[23,24] ocean water energy,[25,26] human motion energy[27,28,29] and vibration energy.[30]
We introduced a flexible one-structure arched triboelectric nanogenerator (FOAT), which is a new type of energy device that can be used to harvest the energy from human motion
Summary
With the popularity of electronic technology in daily life, wearable devices gradually tend to be miniaturized, intelligent and versatile, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear, NIKE+, Google glasses and so on.[1,2] Batteries used as traditional power supply for wearable devices are limited, it is difficult to ensure uninterrupted power supply for wearable devices. Most materials of previously reported of TENGs’ electrodes are metal or rigid, which don’t have the ability of bending and stretching and are not suitable for direct contact with human skin.[35] In addition, most of the existing TENGs adopt single generating mode, limiting output performance.[36,37] it is necessary to design a flexible, biocompatible and high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator. A flexible one-structure arched triboelectric nanogenerator (FOAT) is fabricated, which integrates two power generation modes: single-electrode mode and contact-separation mode based on common electrode. FOAT can simultaneously power 62 light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) and harvest various forms of human motion as angle sensor and jump height sensor when placed at arm joint or under the foot, which manifests the broad prospects in illuminating, self-powered wearable devices and motion monitoring sensor
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