Harsh‐Environmental‐Resistant Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Its Applications in Autodrive Safety Warning

Abstract

ambient energy. TENG is of great interest for capturing low-frequency mechanical energy due to its low cost in fabrication and excellent coupling effect (triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction). Different structures and triboelectric materials of tribo electric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been designed for harvesting mechanical energy of different form, e.g., water wave, wind, vibration, and biomechanical motion energy from the natural environment. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Recently, based on the artificial intelligence (AI) technology, autonomous car (driverless, self-driving, robotic) is an innovative vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input. Driving safety early warning (DSEW) system is very important for in the cruising of autonomous vehicles, and it is a key technology that has been proposed and developing fast in this field. In fact, information cannot be provided without a strong efficient sensor network. TENGs could be harvesting vibrational/slide energy from a moving vehicle, as power sources and self-powered sensors for DSEW system. [13][14][15] However, there are some limitations to the previously different kinds of TENGs. First, the triboelectric materials' supporting surface is easy to be damaged during the contact and the separation, it is unable to support sliding friction for long periods. Second, most organic triboelectric materials Rapid advancements in multifunctional triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing must be partnered with corresponding advances in durability and heat-resistance, especially under harsh working conditions. A device suitable for harsh environmental applications based on the wear-resistant triboelectric material is reported. The working modes of the harsh-environmental TENG (heTENG) are composed of freestanding and single electrode that enable both harvesting sliding/vibration energy and self-powered vibrational sensing. For the first time, a TENG possessing wear resistance, withstanding high temperature, and high hardness is achieved by employing micro-nanocomposite for triboelectric materials. It is demonstrated to be directly used as a key supporting part, such as automobile's brake pads. In addition, it is found that the heTENG outputs 221 V, 27.9 µA cm −2 , and 33.4 µC cm −2 . Furthermore, since heTENG is vibration-sensitive, the automobile's self-powered smart braking system and sensor network are developed successfully which can automatically provide a precise early-warning signals, such as a reminder for brake replacement, and an indicator for tire overloading, and pressure. This work shows a new strategy to enhance the performance of triboelectric materials, making it applicable to harsh environments, as well as potential applications in autonomous vehicles and industrial brakes.

Self-Powered Sensors and Systems Based on Nanogenerators

“…Through harvesting the vibration energy from a bicycle, it can sustainably power a speedometer. In Figure 18h, a robust and soft TENG composed of a silicone rubber-spring helical structure with nanocomposite-based elastomeric electrodes is proposed to place on the vehicle for harvesting vibration energy [192]. It can serve as a self-powered vibration sensor.…”

“…(h) A soft and robust spring-based TENG for harvesting arbitrary directional vibration energy and self-powered vibration sensing. Reproduced with permission [192]. Copyright 2018, John Wiley & Sons.…”

“…Based on the excellent performance of TENG, some smart applications have been implemented, such as traffic monitoring [194][195][196][197][198], driving monitoring [158,199,200], Autodrive safety [192], etc. Figure 19a, presents a hybridized TE-EM generator composed of four freestanding TENGs and four EMGs developed as a self-powered sensor for road traffic monitoring [194].…”

Hybridized Mechanical and Solar Energy-Driven Self-Powered Hydrogen Production

“…As an energy converter, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can harvest various types of mechanical energies, such as human motion, wind energy, and hydropower [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The birth of TENG provides an approach as external bias for driving different electrochemical processes [24][25][26].…”

A Triboelectric Closed‐Loop Sensing System for Authenticity Identification of Paper‐Based Artworks

“…[ 14,15 ] The fundamental and technological studies of TENG were experiencing a rapid development and its applications cover a wide range of fields for internet of things and artificial intelligence. [ 16–18 ] It could be used as active sensors, its application covers mechanical sensors, [ 19,20 ] physiological detection, [ 21,22 ] motion sensing, [ 23–25 ] touch and electronic skin. [ 26–28 ] The working principle of TENG is based on the contact electrification effect, [ 29–32 ] due to the surface states and energy levels of various tribo‐materials are generally distinct that its consequences lead to the capturing ability differences of charge.…”