Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator Research Articles

Wind Aggregation Enhanced Triboelectric-Electromagnetic Hybrid Generator with Slit Effect.

It is of great significance to establish a low-cost, high-efficiency, self-powered micrometeorological monitoring system for agriculture, animal husbandry, and transportation. However, each additional detection element in the meteorological monitoring system increases the power consumption of the whole system by about 0.7 W. As a renewable energy technology, a triboelectric nanogenerator has the advantages of low price and self-powered sensing. To reduce the power consumption of the micrometeorological monitoring system, this work introduces an innovative solution: the wind-gathering enhanced triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator (WGE-TEHG). Coupling the thin-film vibrating triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and electromagnetic generator (EMG), the TENG is used to monitor wind direction and the EMG is used to monitor wind speed and provide energy needed by the system. In particular, the TENG can be used as a self-powered sensor to reduce the power consumption of the sensing system. Besides, the TENG is used to produce slit effect to enhance the output performance of EMG. The experimental results show that the WGE-TEHG can build a self-powered natural environment micrometeorological sensing system. It can monitor the wind direction, wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity. This research has great application value for the self-powered sensing implementation of a hybrid TENG and EMG.

Conventional and pulsed hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator with tunable output time and wider impedance matching range

Sliding grating-structured triboelectric nanogenerators (SG-TENGs) can multiply transferred charge, reduce open-circuit voltage, and increase short-circuit current, which have wide application prospects in self-powered systems. However, conventional SG-TENGs have an ultrahigh internal equivalent impedance, which reduces the output voltage and energy under low load resistances (<10 MΩ). The Pulsed SG-TENGs can reduce the equivalent impedance to near zero by introducing a synchronously triggered mechanical switch (STMS), but its limited output time causes the incomplete charge transfer under high load resistances (>1 GΩ). In this paper, a conventional and pulsed hybrid SG-TENG (CPH-SG-TENG) is developed through rational designing STMS with tunable width and output time. The matching relationship among grid electrode width, contactor width of STMS, sliding speed, and load resistance has been studied, which provides a feasible solution for simultaneous realization of high output energy under small load resistances and high output voltage under high load resistances. The impedance matching range is extended from zero to at least 10 GΩ. The output performance of CPH-SG-TENG under low and high load resistances are demonstrated by passive power management circuit and arc discharge, respectively. The general strategy using tunable STMS combines the advantages of conventional and pulsed TENGs, which has broad application prospects in the fields of TENGs and self-powered systems.

Electrospun PVDF-MoSe2 nanofibers based hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered water splitting system

The development of nanogenerators offers the best hope for the current global energy crisis rises due to social globalization. Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are currently gaining a lot of attention for harvesting mechanical energy from the ambient environment to serve as the power source for powering electronic devices. In the present work, hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator coupling both the piezoelectric and triboelectric effects have been fabricated to drive the environmentally friendly approach of splitting the water for hydrogen production. Here, electrospun PVDF-MoSe2 fiber deposited over aluminium foil, and Nylon fiber based triboelectric negative and positive material, respectively have been used for the hybrid nanogenerator device. It has been observed that MoSe2 incorporation improves the nanogenerators triboelectric as well as piezoelectric performance. The PVDF-MoSe2/Nylon based TENG exhibits remarkable peak to peak open-circuit voltage of 113.6 V and 26.5 µA of short-circuit current. Moreover, it exhibits a high-power density of 230.4 µWcm−2 under piezo-tribo coupling, which is even superior than the majority of previously fabricated similar type of devices. This TENG, which has great output performance, can also capture energy from a variety of mechanical and biological motions, and the device versatility has also been shown by its use in hydrogen evolution.

3D-printed stretchable hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric nanogenerator for smart tire: Onboard real-time tread wear monitoring system

An affordable yet highly promising device, friction-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted tremendous attention for harvesting energy from ambient mechanical forces and converting to scalable electrical power. However, the output power from TENG often appears insufficient to run self-powered electronics for the long term. While most research on high-output hybrid TENGs focused on ferroelectric particle-based polymer composites, we propose a coupled 3D-printing and transfer-printing based fabrication method for hybrid barium titanate (BTO)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) bilayer film with adjustable piezoceramic layer thickness. An internally hybridized BTO/PDMS sensor (HTPENG) results in greater charge separation and more efficient impedance matching at the interface of BTO and PDMS elastomer, as opposed to composites. The higher reproducibility and scalable production method can also drive large-scale industrial production. The resulting power density of HTPENG appeared to be 2.20 mW/cm2, nearly twice that of non-hybrid PDMS (PTENG). For the application, the hybrid flexible sensor appears to be highly effective for tire tread wear monitoring systems (TWMS). The direct, onboard, self-powered HTPENG sensor can detect tire wear with very high precision and with detection accuracy of ≤ 1 mm. Moreover, HTPENG can additionally function as a force and pressure sensor with a wide detection range (500 N > F > 10 N). Advancing a step closer to smart tires, this proof-of-concept hybrid sensor is, therefore, expected to bring about a sustainable alternative for the manufacture of onboard TWMS devices and possible dashboard integration in the near future.

A guided-liquid-based hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator for omnidirectional and high-performance ocean wave energy harvesting

Ocean wave energy is a promising clean and renewable energy source to mitigate the global energy crisis and environmental issues. Here, a guided-liquid-based isotropic triboelectric–electromagnetic-hybrid nanogenerator (iTEHG) is developed for efficient and sustainable harvesting of omnidirectional ocean wave energy. The fully-enclosed iTEHG is based on a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and electromagnetic generator (EMG), with the structure design of a unique concentric circular electrode pair built on a tilted satellite-dish-inspired plate for gravity-guided motion of the liquid. The newly-designed ocean wave harvester solves the wear and insufficient contact problems of mainstream solid–solid-interfaced TENGs, prolonging the device lifetime, and improves controllability of liquid compared with other solid–liquid-interfaced TENGs. This produces immediate power and current densities of 7.25 µW·cm–3 and 4.85 µA·cm–3 with undifferentiated 360° coverage. The iTEHG can charge a 0.1 F supercapacitor to 3.1 V and continuously drive a wireless thermometer for over 26 min. It exhibits superior performance for practical applications in real ocean environments, proven by continuously driving 320 high luminosity LEDs in Sanya Bay, China, even during quiet periods of ocean activity. The proposed design is expected to have a broad prospect for future blue energy harvesting and inspire development of self-sufficient ocean sensors.

A novel hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator based on the mutual boosting effect of electrostatic induction and electrostatic breakdown

A novel hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator integrating AC- and DF-triboelectric nanogenerators is developed, with a switchable dual-output feature, and the mutual boosting effect of electrostatic induction and electrostatic breakdown is identified.

Hybrid nanogenerator driven self-powered SO2F2 sensing system based on TiO2/Ni/C composites at room temperature

The application of conventional sensors is limited due to energy supply issues and environmental problems, and current triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based self-powered sensing systems is hard to meet the specific requirement. In this paper, TiO2/Ni/C composites were prepared using MOF-derived Ni/C materials for SO2F2 detection at room temperature. The excellent pore structure and high electrical conductivity of Ni/C material greatly improve the sensitivity properties of TiO2. The TiO2/Ni/C composites-based SO2F2 sensor exhibits a wide detection range of 5–200 ppm concentration and a fast response/recovery time of 26 s/9 s, while its response value for 200 ppm SO2F2 is 18.34 times higher than that of the pure TiO2-based sensor. Furthermore, by modifying the PVDF film with TiO2, the permittivity of PVDF is greatly improved, and the surface potential is 2.6 times higher than that of pure PVDF film. Eventually, a dual-layer hybrid TENG based on TiO2/PVDF composite film was constructed. Its upper TENG powers the TiO2/Ni/C composite sensor, and the lower hybrid TENG drives the thermohygrometer to realize a self-powered temperature and humidity-corrected SO2F2 sensing system, which can accurately implement SO2F2 gas concentration alarms at 10 ppm, 50 ppm, and 100 ppm at different humidity levels. This work broadens the application of TENG in the field of self-powered gas sensing while providing a new idea to achieve the trace detection of SO2F2 at room temperature.

A hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator for enhancing corrosion prevention of metal in marine environment

A hybrid spherical triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) with both solid-solid and solid-liquid contact modes is successfully constructed to collect wave energy for highly efficient cathodic protection of metals in marine. To maximize collection of wave energy, the S-TENG is designed to simultaneously capture friction energy from inside and outside the device with different working modes, achieving a short circuit current density of 186 mA m−3 and open circuit voltage of 88.9 V, respectively. It indicates that the potential drop of stainless steel (304SS) and organically coated carbon steel (Q235CS) coupled with the S-TENG are about 410 mV and 930 mV, respectively, which is suitable for their cathodic protection in marine environment. It is demonstrated that our S-TENG as a low-cost and environmentally friendly self-powered approach is promising to effectively converts wave energy for electrochemical cathodic protection in marine.

Recent Progress on Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Vibration Energy Harvesting and Vibration Sensing.

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a recent technology that reforms kinetic energy generation and motion sensing. A TENG comes with variety of structures and mechanisms that make it suitable for wide range of applications and working conditions. Since mechanical vibrations are abundant source of energy in the surrounding environment, the development of a TENG for vibration energy harvesting and vibration measurements has attracted a huge attention and great research interest through the past two decades. Due to the high output voltage and high-power density of a TENG, it can be used as a sustainable power supply for small electronics, smart devices, and wireless sensors. In addition, it can work as a vibration sensor with high sensitivity. This article reviews the recent progress in the development of a TENG for vibration energy harvesting and vibration measurements. Systems of only a TENG or a hybrid TENG with other transduction technologies, such as piezoelectric and electromagnetic, can be utilized for vibrations scavenging. Vibration measurement can be done by measuring either vibration displacement or vibration acceleration. Each can provide full information about the vibration amplitude and frequency. Some TENG vibration-sensing architectures may also be used for energy harvesting due to their large output power. Numerous applications can rely on TENG vibration sensors such as machine condition monitoring, structure health monitoring, and the Internet of things (IoT).

Energy Conversion Analysis of Multilayered Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Synergistic Rain and Solar Energy Harvesting.

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an emerging technology that offers excellent potential for the conversion of mechanical energy from rain into electricity for hybrid energy applications. However, a high-performance TENG is yet to be achieved because a quantitative analysis method for the energy conversion process is still lacking. Herein, a quantitative analysis method, termed the "kinetic energy calculation and current integration" (KECCI) method, which significantly improves the understanding of the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion process, is presented. Based on the KECCI method, a high-performance TENG is developed by systematically optimizing a biomimetic surface structure and instant switch design, with 1.25mA short-circuit current (Isc ), 150V open-circuit voltage (Voc ), and a high energy-conversion efficiency of 24.89%. Furthermore, a multilayered TENG device is proposed for continuously harvesting the kinetic energy of raindrops for further improvement in the energy-conversion efficiency. Finally, the multilayered TENGs are integrated with organic photovoltaics, achieving all-weather energy harvesting. This work presents a validated theoretical basis that will guide further development of TENGs toward higher performances, which will promote the commercialization of hybrid TENG systems for all-weather applications.

Hybridizing Triboelectric and Thermomagnetic Effects: A Novel Low‐Grade Thermal Energy Harvesting Technology

AbstractDeveloping new energy generation technologies able to effectively convert low‐grade thermal energy into electricity is an urgent necessity to tackle the continuous surge in energy demand and mitigate climate change. Here, a hybrid device that couples triboelectric and thermomagnetic effects to generate electrical power in the presence of small temperature gradients near room temperature is demonstrated. The thermomagnetic effect allows to induce the periodic and sustained motion of a second‐order ferromagnetic material in temperature gradients below 30 °C. This mechanical motion is then converted into electrical energy using a low‐cost triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The applicability of this concept is demonstrated in a broad range of operating temperatures in both the cold (15 to 37 °C) and hot (60 to 90 °C) sides. It is further shown that the electrical power generated by the hybrid TENG is more than 35× higher than that obtained by a conventional thermomagnetic generator driven by magnetic induction. The obtained results show that this implementation is a feasible thermal energy conversion technology, further expanding the applicability of triboelectricity into the realm of room temperature thermal harvesting.

Collectively Exhaustive Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Flow‐Induced Impacting‐Sliding Cylinder for Ocean Energy Harvesting (Adv. Energy Mater. 3/2022)

Triboelectric Nanogenerators In article number 2103076, Daegyoum Kim, Il-Kwon Oh and co-workers develop an ocean energy harvester utilizing a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) coupled with an oscillating cylinder via fluid-structure interactions for wireless monitoring of ocean environments. Collectively exhaustive hybrid TENGs can be used to greatly maximize ocean energy harvesting performance from a synergy between freestanding sliding and contact-separation modes.

A Guided-Liquid-Based Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Omnidirectional and High-Performance Ocean Wave Energy Harvesting

A Guided-Liquid-Based Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Omnidirectional and High-Performance Ocean Wave Energy Harvesting

Collectively Exhaustive Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Flow‐Induced Impacting‐Sliding Cylinder for Ocean Energy Harvesting

AbstractFor the sustainable application of remote sensing and monitoring in the ocean environment, energy harvesting technology based on flow‐induced vibration is in the spotlight. Herein, based on the flow‐induced self‐excitation of an impacting‐sliding cylinder, a collectively exhaustive hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is reported, that utilizes both freestanding‐sliding (FS) and contact‐separation (CS) modes. Most importantly, the flow‐induced impacting cylinder (FIC) between two side walls is newly implemented to resolve the critical problem of the lock‐in phenomena occurring in conventional vortex‐induced vibration systems of circular cylinders. Owing to the presence of two side walls, the FIC based TENG (FIC‐TENG) shows a stable electrical power generation in a wide range of flow velocity (0.05–1.02 m s−1) without lock‐in phenomena. In addition, the collectively exhaustive FIC‐TENG can be used to continuously produce electric power utilizing both FS and CS hybrid modes. The energy harvesting performance is greatly enhanced by adopting nanopatterns on triboelectric surfaces in the CS mode TENG and a frequency upconversion effect of interdigitated electrodes in the FS mode TENG, resulting in proper remote operation of a wireless fidelity thermometer.

Coupling mechanism between photogenerated carriers and triboelectric charges and photoinduced reinforcement of a triboelectric nanogenerator

It has been reported that the output performance of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can be enhanced by applying light; however, the coupling mechanism between photogenerated carriers and triboelectric charges is still not well explained. Here, we propose a light-enhanced TENG based on a P3HT:PC61BM active blend layer, which processes dual functions of the photoelectric effect and the triboelectric effect. The open-circuit voltage, short circuit current, and amount of transferred charges for the TENG were enhanced by 63%, 76%, and 127%, respectively, after illumination under the white light condition. Moreover, we have investigated the interaction between the triboelectric charges and the photogenerated carriers to further explore the coupling mechanism between the triboelectric and photoelectric effects. Both Kelvin probe force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy demonstrate that the photogenerated carriers produced by the P3HT:PC61BM active blend layer can improve the surface triboelectric charge density. More interestingly, the transient absorption spectrum indicates that the electrostatic field induced by triboelectric charges contributes to the dissociation of excitons. In other words, there exists a beneficial promoting effect between the triboelectric charges and the photogenerated carriers during the operation of the light-enhanced TENG. This work provides an important guideline for the design and performance improvement of the hybrid TENG that captures both mechanical energy and light energy simultaneously.

Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerators: From Energy Complementation to Integration.

Energy collection ways using solar energy, wave, wind, or mechanical energy have attracted widespread attention for small self-powered electronic devices with low power consumption, such as sensors, wearable devices, electronic skin, and implantable devices. Among them, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) operated by coupling effect of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction has gradually gained prominence due to its advantages such as low cost, lightweight, high degree of freedom in material selection, large power, and high applicability. The device with a single energy exchange mechanism is limited by its conversion efficiency and work environment and cannot achieve the maximum conversion of energy. Thus, this article reviews the research status of different types of hybrid generators based on TENG in recent years. Hybrid energy generators will improve the output performance though the integration of different energy exchange methods, which have an excellent application prospect. From the perspective of energy complementation, it can be divided into harvesting mechanical energy by various principles, combining with harvesters of other clean energy, and converting mechanical energy or various energy sources into hydrogen energy. For integrating multitype energy harvesters, mechanism of single device and structural design of integrated units for different application scenarios are summarized. The expanding energy harvesting efficiency of the hybrid TENG makes the scheme of self-charging unit to power intelligent mobile electronic feasible and has practical significance for the development of self-powered sensor network.

3D Cu ball-based hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator with non-fullerene organic photovoltaic cells for self-powering indoor electronics

Hybrid energy harvesters capable of capturing energy from multiple sources are gaining increasing attention. In this study, we develop the first hybrid organic photovoltaic cell−triboelectric nanogenerator (OPV–TENG) system targeting human activities indoors. The hybrid device comprises a non-fullerene OPV and a Cu ball-based TENG connected in series. Through optimization of an OPV cell, high power conversion efficiencies (15.03%–16.45%) are achieved for cells covering 50 mm 2 from indoor light sources. The Cu ball-based TENG effectively generates alternative electricity (electric power > 3 μW and charge up to 1.5 nC) by continuous contact−separation of the Cu balls due to human walking. The hybrid OPV–TENG system by stimulation/automatically harvests indoor light energy and mechanical energy from human motion. The total voltage/current outputs of the hybrid system are close to the sum of those generated from the OPV and TENG individually. Also, we demonstrate that a capacitor and a lithium-ion battery (LIB) are effectively and rapidly charged using an OPV–TENG-based hybrid self-charging device. Our study initiates developing hybrid OPV–TENG systems with extensive application potential for powering indoor electronics. • The hybrid system of TENG and OPV compensates vulnerable aspects of each device, thereby increasing power production. • Single OPV cell was created with PCEs ranging from 15.03% to 16.45% from indoor light sources. • Cu ball-based TENG yielded instantaneous power exceeding 3 μW and average charge up to 1.5 nC with walking speed of ~4.0 m/s. • The power-generating performance of the serially integrated OPV–TENG system is enhanced under indoor light and human motion. • This study highlights a promising method for collecting energy from multiple sources associated with human indoor life.

Tumbler-shaped hybrid triboelectric nanogenerators for amphibious self-powered environmental monitoring

Abstract Self-powered sensor networks are an emerging technology with great potential applications in Internet of Things (IoTs). However, simultaneously harvesting various coexist energy from environment has always been a challenge to develop self-powered sensor networks. In this work, a tumbler-shaped hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator (TH-TENG) is elaborately designed to simultaneously harvest wind and water wave energy on land or ocean. The TH-TENG is composed of an external single-electrode liquid TENG and an internal rolling-ball TENG. The balance-reverting tumbler structure contributes to harvest energy from arbitrary directions and extra swings. Amphibious self-powered environmental monitoring including the wind speed, wave height and wave frequency can be detected by the TH-TENG directly. Meanwhile, the TH-TENGs can also be integrated in parallel to power a commercial environmental monitor. The detection of small vibration is achieved by connecting the TH-TENG with a single chip microcomputer. The TH-TENG demonstrates an effective and novel strategy to harvest coexist energy simultaneously in the amphibious environment and develop wireless sensor networks in the IoTs.

A Spherical Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Enhanced Water Wave Energy Harvesting

Water waves are a continuously generated renewable source of energy. However, their random motion and low frequency pose significant challenges for harvesting their energy. Herein, we propose a spherical hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator (SH-TENG) that efficiently harvests the energy of low frequency, random water waves. The SH-TENG converts the kinetic energy of the water wave into solid–solid and solid–liquid triboelectric energy simultaneously using a single electrode. The electrical output of the SH-TENG for six degrees of freedom of motion in water was investigated. Further, in order to demonstrate hybrid energy harvesting from multiple energy sources using a single electrode on the SH-TENG, the charging performance of a capacitor was evaluated. The experimental results indicate that SH-TENGs have great potential for use in self-powered environmental monitoring systems that monitor factors such as water temperature, water wave height, and pollution levels in oceans.

Coaxial Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Scavenging Multidirectional Mechanical Energy

AbstractScavenging mechanical energy from ambient environment has been one of the most promising approaches to tackle global energy shortage for its marvelous abundance over the world. Yet harvesting such energy finely is rather challenging because of highly fragmentary property. Recently, efforts based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) made it no longer a dream to promote this progress. In this paper, a novel coaxial hybrid TENG (CH‐TENG) with the integration of rubber core and elastic wavy shell is demonstrated, which can run in two distinguishing working modes to collect the mechanical energy from multiple directions. While operated by researchers manually, a maximum instantaneous output of 150 and 48 V of open‐circuit voltage (VOC), 2 µA and 145 nA of short‐circuit current (ISC) can be reached under continuous off‐axial pressing as well as axial stretching, respectively, sufficing to charge commercial capacitors and drive 20 light‐emitting diode bulbs. Attributing to the elaborate design of structure, as‐fabricated CH‐TENG shows lots of merits such as remarkable durability, high portability, outstanding sensitivity, and superb directivity. All of these manifest its great competitiveness in upcoming green future.