High-performance triboelectric nanogenerator with synchronization mechanism by charge handling

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), as an effective environmental energy harvesting device, provides a promising method for powering electronic devices with low power consumption. However, the low surface charge density of the triboelectric layer limits its practical application. In this paper, a charge handling triboelectric nanogenerator (CH-TENG) with synchronous mechanism is proposed to effectively improve the output performance. It consists of the pump-TENG, the main-TENG, and charge handling circuit. Through the cooperation of the pump-TENG and charge handling module, the extra charges are injected into the main-TENG, rapid charge accumulation is achieved. The experimental results depict that CH-TENG obtains open-circuit voltage 1200 V, short-circuit current 75 μA, instantaneous output power 27 mW, and the transferred charge reaches 0.8 μC at a frequency of 1.5 Hz. Under the wind speed of 6 m/s, CH-TENG spent 39 s to charge the 220 μF capacitor to 3.0 V, and finally stabilized at 1.26 V to keep the hygrothermograph working stably. The CH-TENG provides a significant reference for improving the high-performance output harvest wind energy in the environment.