All-Weather\nDroplet-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator\nfor Wave Energy Harvesting

Abstract

The\nliquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator (LS-TENG) has\nbeen demonstrated to harvest energy efficiently through the contact\nelectrification effect between liquid and solid triboelectric materials,\nwhich can avoid the wear issue in solid–solid TENG. However,\nthe droplet-based LS-TENG reveals the problems that it generally works\nwith the continuous falling droplets or needs to be fully packaged,\nwhich greatly limit its practical application. Here, a droplet-based\ntriboelectric nanogenerator (DB-TENG) with a simple open structure\nis designed to effectively solve these problems. The nonpackaged DB-TENG\ncan work stably under extreme conditions with high humidity or high\nconcentrations of salt, acid, or alkali solutions, showing the DB-TENGs\ncan be flexibly utilized in all types of working environments with\nbetter reliability and lower maintenance costs. It is of great significance\nthat the integrated DB-TENG network array can realize the all-weather\nocean energy harvesting. Furthermore, under the simulated ocean wave,\na scaled-up DB-TENG with considerable output performance can charge\ncapacitors and drive electrical devices. Overall, the DB-TENG shows\nmany advantages: simple open structure, all-weather working ability,\ntimely supplement of water loss, no tight packaging, wear resistance,\nsuitable for extreme working environments. This work provides a convenient\nand feasible way toward all-weather wave energy harvesting in real\nmarine environments.