Triboelectric Circular Motion Sensor with Variable\nFriction Type and its Service Performance Research

Abstract

Due\nto their simple structure, low cost, and self-powered characteristics,\ntriboelectric nanogenerators are widely used in mechanical sensing\nfields. However, the existing investigations on triboelectric sensors\nmainly focus on a single friction type or material. In this paper,\na triboelectric circular motion sensor with variable friction types\n(TCMS-VFT) is proposed. TCMS-VFT consists of a stator and a slider.\nSliding, rolling, and sweeping friction between the slider and the\nstator can be achieved by replacing different types of sliders. The\noutput characteristics, the durability of TCMS-VFT with different\nmaterials, structures, and friction types are systematically investigated.\nThe experiment results show that TCMS-VFT with sliding friction has\nexcellent output capability and stability. The service life of TCMS-VFT\nwith a solid-block triboelectric layer can reach 200 000 revolutions\n(236.2 km) and 140 000 revolutions (165.34 km) under sliding\nfriction and rolling friction, respectively. Compared to conventional\nfilms, this represents significant increase in durability. In particular,\nthe service life of TCMS-VFT with sliding friction is increased by\nmore than 30 times. The sensing experiments indicate that the accuracy\nof TCMS-VFT with sliding friction is better than that of the rolling\nfriction and the sweeping friction, with an absolute error rate of\nless than 0.41% for velocity, an accuracy of ±0.42° for\nangular displacement. This paper can provide a guiding ideology and\nexperimental basis for the structure design and practical application\nof triboelectric sensors.