Hybrid nanogenerator for harvesting electric-field and vibration energy simultaneously via Maxwell’s displacement current

Abstract

Hybrid energy harvesters (HEHs) have shown immense potential in powering distributed sensors. Conventional HEHs are assemblies of different energy harvesting modules, leading to complicated structures and intricate hybrid power management. This study presents a unique hybrid energy harvesting paradigm based on Maxwell’s displacement current for simultaneously harvesting electric-field and vibration energy. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is utilized to capture vibration energy via polarization of media (∂P⁄∂t), while the parasitic capacitance between TENG’s metal electrodes and AC electrical equipment generates electricity from time-varying electric field (ε0∂E⁄∂t). The continuous output of electric-field energy harvesting at high frequency (660 V, 105.7 mW/m2 × 50 Hz) and the pulse output of vibration energy harvesting at low-frequency (1.38 kV, 2.23 W/m2 × 1 Hz) exhibit comparable average charging power and complementary characteristics, contributing to a remarkable hybrid output performance. Furthermore, the similar energy conversion process and electrical properties of electric-field and vibration energy harvesting enable a universal hybrid power management system with simplified procedures and boosted efficiency (773 %). This work offers a cost-effective, efficient, and widely applicable approach for hybrid energy harvesting and paves the avenue for its practical applications.