Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Node Based on Rotational Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Sustainable micro/nano-power sources, that can harvest the energy from environment for powering low-power sensor nodes or "smart" electronic devices, are newly emerging field of nano energy. In this paper, the focus is set on the rotational disk-structured triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with annular-arranged gratings of 9° based on the printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The disk-based TENG can effectively convert motor driven rotational motion into electrical energy by combining contact-electrification and electrostatic induction. The maximum average power of 5.5 mW is reached at the matched load resistance of 2.5 MΩ at the rotational speed of 1770 rpm. Additionally, the power management unit using an integrated circuit energy-harvesting module LTC3588-1 is developed for lowering the output voltage and obtaining a steady DC output for powering the wireless sensor node. The wireless communication is performed between the two eZ430-RF2500T target boards, with an ultra-low power MSP430F2274 MCU and a CC2500 2.4GHz wireless transceiver, programmed as an access point and an end device. The end device successfully measures the internal power supply voltage and its temperature every 10 seconds and transmits the measured data. The access point wirelessly receives the measured data and transfers it to the PC. The self-powered wireless sensor node powered solely by the developed rotational TENG is self-sustainable in the long term without adding an additional battery or backup power source.