Unique Contact Point Modification Technique for Boosting the Performance of a Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Its Application in Road Safety Sensing and Detection

Abstract

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a potential technique that can convert waste kinetic energy to electrical energy by contact separation followed by electrostatic induction. Herein, a unique contact point modification technique has been reviewed carefully via the enlargement of the effective surface area of the tribo layer by using a simple and scalable printing method. In this study, the zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanostructure morphology has been introduced directly on an aluminum electrode (Al) as a tribo positive layer by a modified hydrothermal method and different line patterns directly printed on overhead projector (OHP) transparent sheets by a monochrome laser printer as a tribo negative layer to increase the effective contact area and workfunction difference between two tribo layers. This dual parameter results in ∼11 times increment in the open-circuit output voltage (∼420 V) and ∼17 times increment in the short-circuit current density (∼83.33 mA m −2 ) compared to the normal one. Furthermore, with the proposed surface modification technique, an ultrahigh instantaneous output power density of ∼3.9 W m −2 at a load resistance of 2 MΩ was easily achieved. The direct energy conversion efficiency reached up to 66.67% at 2 MΩ load, which is very high compared to other traditional TENGs. Further, the fabricated TENG demonstrated efficacy in novel road safety sensing applications in hilly areas to control vehicle movement. Therefore, the current idea of surface engineering using a laser printer will be helpful for energy-harvesting enthusiasts to develop more efficient nanogenerators for higher energy conversions.

Improving the Performance of Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators by Introducing CdS Particles into the Polydimethylsiloxane Layer

“…It was observed that changing the interconnection direction solely affected the polarity of the voltage and current while leaving their magnitudes unaffected. This finding underscores the independence of the output voltage and current from the interconnection direction, which aligns with earlier research findings [35]. The performance of the TENG primarily depends on the spacing between the friction layers, the dielectric constant, the design structure, the friction frequency, and other relevant factors.…”

Phosphor-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Mechanical Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Systems

“…TENGs operate on the combined effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, and this process can occur between two materials. As a result, multiple research groups have investigated various materials, including polymers, fabrics, self-assembled materials, metal oxides, metals, sulfides, metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frames works, graphene, and MXene materials, to improve the power density of TENGs. − The power density of the TENG is mainly enhanced by (a) careful selection of frictional layer (materials) with a significant difference in their work function and (b) physical and chemical surface modification of frictional layers. The literature review of different materials-based TENGs and their performance is presented in Supporting Information Table S2.…”