Nanoscale Triboelectric-Effect-Enabled\nEnergy Conversion\nfor Sustainably Powering Portable Electronics

Abstract

Harvesting energy from our living environment is an effective\napproach\nfor sustainable, maintenance-free, and green power source for wireless,\nportable, or implanted electronics. Mechanical energy scavenging based\non triboelectric effect has been proven to be simple, cost-effective,\nand robust. However, its output is still insufficient for sustainably\ndriving electronic devices/systems. Here, we demonstrated a rationally\ndesigned arch-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) by utilizing\nthe contact electrification between a polymer thin film and a metal\nthin foil. The working mechanism of the TENG was studied by finite\nelement simulation. The output voltage, current density, and energy\nvolume density reached 230 V, 15.5 μA/cm², and 128\nmW/cm³, respectively, and an energy conversion efficiency\nas high as 10–39% has been demonstrated. The TENG was systematically\nstudied and demonstrated as a sustainable power source that can not\nonly drive instantaneous operation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)\nbut also charge a lithium ion battery as a regulated power module\nfor powering a wireless sensor system and a commercial cell phone,\nwhich is the first demonstration of the nanogenerator for driving\npersonal mobile electronics, opening the chapter of impacting general\npeople’s life by nanogenerators.