Triboelectric Nanogenerator Built on Suspended 3D Spiral Structure as Vibration and Positioning Sensor and Wave Energy Harvester

• Published in: ACS nano 2013-11, Vol.7 (11), p.10424-10432
• Main Authors: Hu, Youfan, Yang, Jin, Jing, Qingshen, Niu, Simiao, Wu, Wenzhuo, Wang, Zhong Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Energy harvesting; Illumination; Nanostructure; Position (location); Sensors; Spirals; Three dimensional; Vibration; Wave power
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/nn405209u

An unstable mechanical structure that can self-balance when perturbed is a superior choice for vibration energy harvesting and vibration detection. In this work, a suspended 3D spiral structure is integrated with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for energy harvesting and sensor applications. The newly designed vertical contact–separation mode TENG has a wide working bandwidth of 30 Hz in low-frequency range with a maximum output power density of 2.76 W/m2 on a load of 6 MΩ. The position of an in-plane vibration source was identified by placing TENGs at multiple positions as multichannel, self-powered active sensors, and the location of the vibration source was determined with an error less than 6%. The magnitude of the vibration is also measured by the output voltage and current signal of the TENG. By integrating the TENG inside a buoy ball, wave energy harvesting at water surface has been demonstrated and used for lighting illumination light, which shows great potential applications in marine science and environmental/infrastructure monitoring.