Triboelectric Sensor for Self-Powered Tracking of Object Motion inside Tubing

Abstract

We report a self-powered, single-electrode-based triboelectric sensor (SE-TES) array for detecting object motion inside of a plastic tube. This innovative, cost-effective, simple-designed SE-TES consists of thin-film-based ring-shaped Cu electrodes and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube. On the basis of the coupling effect between triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, the sensor generates electric output signals in response to mechanical motion of an object (such as a ball) passing through the electrodes. An array of Cu electrodes linearly aligned along the tube enables the detection of location and speed of the moving steel ball inside. The signal-to-noise ratio of this fabricated device reached 5.3 × 10(3). Furthermore, we demonstrated real-time monitoring and mapping of the motion characteristics of the steel ball inside the tube by using a seven-unit array of electrode channels arranged along the tube. Triggered by the output current signal, LED bulbs were utilized as real-time indicators of the position of a rolling ball. In addition, the SE-TES also shows the capability of detecting blockage in a water pipe. This work demonstrates potentially widespread applications of the triboelectric sensor in a self-powered tracking system, blockage detection, flow control, and logistics monitoring.

High-performance nanopattern triboelectric generator by block copolymer lithography

“…Presently, enhancement of the output power of TENG is a crucial issue for various potential applications. In this regard, Wang et al developed a variety of concepts of large-scale TENG, which incorporated metal nanoparticles [11,[15][16][17], a 3D stacked structural design [18][19][20][21], organic polymer etching [22][23][24][25][26][27] and various surface morphologies [11,19,20,[28][29][30][31] in order to increase mechanical contact area. Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly offers lithographic nanotemplates for next-generation lithography as a result of the microphase separation of covalently linked incompatible polymer blocks [32][33][34].…”

Multifunctional triboelectric nanogenerator based on porous micro-nickel foam to harvest mechanical energy

“…Usually, several mechanisms on harvesting mechanical energy are as follows: electrostatic effect [1][2][3][4][5], piezoelectric effect [6][7][8][9][10], electromagnetic effect [11][12][13] and magnetrostrictive effect [14]. Based on them, these methods mainly focused on the small-scale energy harvesting, intending to power micro/nanosystems and portable electronics [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] because of their small size, lower power consumption and special working environment. However, these widespread techniques toward large-scale energy harvesting are potentially shadowed by some possible restrictions, such as the energy harvesting method, the material cost [25], structural complexity [15], environmental influence and feasibility in practice.…”

Cylindrical spiral triboelectric nanogenerator

“…Previous studies have shown that slight movements can be easily transformed into significant electrical signals using TENG technology, which provides an excellent way for self-powered displacement Nano Res. 2015, 8(10): 3197-3204 sensors [16][17][18]. At the same time, the constant motion will generate a high electric output that can also meet the needs of electricity for portable devices.…”