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Nano Research 2023, 16(8): 11259-11268 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5757-0
Research Article | Issue | Published: 02 June 2023

Round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator with high output response and low wear to harvest random wind energy

Show Author's Information Xinyu Hu1,2,  Junrui Feng1,2,  Chuangjian Liang1,  Heng Ning1,  Chunjin Chen1,  Jiayu Li1,  Honggui Wen1,  Huilu Yao1,  Lingyu Wan1,  Guanlin Liu1( )
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China
Keywords:
triboelectric nanogenerator, wind energy harvesting, bi-directional kinetic energy, gas discharge tube switch, round-trip oscillation structure
Topics:
Nanogenerators
Cite this article:
Hu X, Feng J, Liang C, et al. Round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator with high output response and low wear to harvest random wind energy. Nano Research, 2023, 16(8): 11259-11268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5757-0
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has made significant progress in wind energy harvesting. As the most advantageous rotary TENG among wind energy harvesters, the severe material wear and the output that fluctuates with wind speed seriously hinder the application of TENG wind energy harvesters. In this study, we propose a round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator (RTO-TENG) consisting of a crank transmission mechanism and a power generation unit. The RTO-TENG utilizes a simple crank transmission mechanism combined with a zigzag-laminated triboelectric nanogenerator (Z-TENG) to achieve high-performance constant output and low material wear. The crank transmission mechanism can realize the transformation from circular motion to arc reciprocating motion, converting the random wind energy into bi-directional kinetic energy, driving the vertical contact and separation of the Z-TENG. Due to the low transmission ratio (1:1) of the crank transmission mechanism and the consistent frequency of the Z-TENG contact–separation with that of the pendulum, the RTO-TENG’s power generation unit (10 Z-TENGs) is insensitive to changes in wind speed, resulting in a constant and stable output response at various speeds. After 480,000 cycles, the output of RTO-TENG decreased by only 0.9% compared to the initial value of 6 μC, and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film showed no significant wear on the surface of the friction layer, demonstrating excellent output stability and abrasion resistance of the RTO-TENG wind energy collector’s material. The equipped energy management module, based on a gas discharge tube switch, can further enhance the output performance of the RTO-TENG. After optimizing its inductor parameter L to match the load capacitor, it can charge a 220 μF load capacitor to 13.4 V in 40 s, resulting in a 298% improvement in charging speed compared to the voltage of 4.48 V without the management module. Therefore, the RTO-TENG can efficiently provide power to low-power small electronic devices for Internet of Things (IoTs), such as road traffic warning signs and thermo-hygrometers.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator with high output response and low wear to harvest random wind energy

Show Author's information Xinyu Hu1,2, Junrui Feng1,2, Chuangjian Liang1, Heng Ning1, Chunjin Chen1, Jiayu Li1, Honggui Wen1, Huilu Yao1, Lingyu Wan1, Guanlin Liu1( )
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has made significant progress in wind energy harvesting. As the most advantageous rotary TENG among wind energy harvesters, the severe material wear and the output that fluctuates with wind speed seriously hinder the application of TENG wind energy harvesters. In this study, we propose a round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator (RTO-TENG) consisting of a crank transmission mechanism and a power generation unit. The RTO-TENG utilizes a simple crank transmission mechanism combined with a zigzag-laminated triboelectric nanogenerator (Z-TENG) to achieve high-performance constant output and low material wear. The crank transmission mechanism can realize the transformation from circular motion to arc reciprocating motion, converting the random wind energy into bi-directional kinetic energy, driving the vertical contact and separation of the Z-TENG. Due to the low transmission ratio (1:1) of the crank transmission mechanism and the consistent frequency of the Z-TENG contact–separation with that of the pendulum, the RTO-TENG’s power generation unit (10 Z-TENGs) is insensitive to changes in wind speed, resulting in a constant and stable output response at various speeds. After 480,000 cycles, the output of RTO-TENG decreased by only 0.9% compared to the initial value of 6 μC, and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film showed no significant wear on the surface of the friction layer, demonstrating excellent output stability and abrasion resistance of the RTO-TENG wind energy collector’s material. The equipped energy management module, based on a gas discharge tube switch, can further enhance the output performance of the RTO-TENG. After optimizing its inductor parameter L to match the load capacitor, it can charge a 220 μF load capacitor to 13.4 V in 40 s, resulting in a 298% improvement in charging speed compared to the voltage of 4.48 V without the management module. Therefore, the RTO-TENG can efficiently provide power to low-power small electronic devices for Internet of Things (IoTs), such as road traffic warning signs and thermo-hygrometers.

Keywords: triboelectric nanogenerator, wind energy harvesting, bi-directional kinetic energy, gas discharge tube switch, round-trip oscillation structure

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 06 January 2023
Revised: 11 March 2023
Accepted: 19 April 2023
Published: 02 June 2023
Issue date: August 2023

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2023

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (No. 2021GXNSFAA075009), the Specific Research Project of Guangxi for Research Bases and Talents (No. GUIKEAD22035178), and the National Key R&D Project from Minister of Science and Technology (No. 2021YFA1201603).

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