Water-driven robust triboelectric nanogenerator for electrochemical synthesis

Abstract

Harvesting water energy and converting it into electricity by triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an effective strategy to alleviate the energy crisis. In this work, we develop a corrosion- and abrasive-resistant triboelectric layer by employing the graphite powder as the coating filler. Inspired by the lever principle, a robust and corrosion-resistive TENG was designed for converting water energy into gravitational potential energy and then into electricity. It has the potential to apply anywhere with a water level difference. The microstructural graphite on the coating surface not only enhances the corrosion and abrasion resistance but also enhances the effective contact area and triboelectric output of the graphite/epoxy/polyamide (C/EP/PA) coating. The as-designed TENG shows an open-circuit voltage of 300 V and a power output of 1.936 W/m2. Excellent durability and long-term stability were also demonstrated. In this work, the electrochemical synthesis of nanoparticles driven by TENG was firstly reported. Thus, hinting a new and competitive strategy for the commercial application of TENG in self-powered electrochemical systems.