Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) power up device for wireless signal transmission applications
Abstract
The triboelectric nanogenerator, or TENG, harvests ambient mechanical energy and converts it to electrical energy. TENG operates when two materials contact and separate, generating opposite electrostatic charges on the surfaces of each material. This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a low-cost triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for remotely powering up devices that utilize a vertical contact separation (VCS) configuration and were fabricated using low-cost, commercially available, and recycled waste materials. Two TENG designs were used to demonstrate energy harvesting: the TENG-sb design uses a recycled snack packaging material as a negative triboelectric layer and aluminum foil as the opposite layer and electrode. The TENG-al uses commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) book cover, and aluminum foil tape as triboelectric layer and electrodes. The TENG-sb and TENG-al generated an open circuit voltage of 349 V and 265 V for an active area of 100x100 mm and 60x100 mm, respectively. The TENG-sb was able to light up 129 commercial LEDs. Also, the TENG-sb demonstrated signal transmission via an LC tank circuit with an output of 458 mVpp.
