Traditional wind turbines have struggled to efficiently harvest broadband wind energy due to significant velocity fluctuations. To address this challenge, this study innovatively proposes a bio-inspired cluster wind turbine-driven hybrid triboelectric-electromagnetic generator (CWT-TEHG). The design synergistically combines multi-rotor cluster effects with Magnus effect induced orbital motion to enhance wind energy harvesting. An adaptive adjustment mechanism coordinates with an energy storage-release system to regulate the triboelectric layer interface behavior of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and optimize the operation of the electromagnetic generator (EMG), achieving efficient broadband wind to electricity conversion. Computational fluid dynamics analysis reveals the energy harvesting mechanisms, guiding parametric optimization. Experimental results demonstrate a low cut-in wind speed of 2 m s^-1, and achieves a 92.4% improvement in TENG output at 10 m s^-1 compared to TENG without orbital motion and adaptive gap regulation, with the regulated EMG reaching a peak power of 665.6 mW, and CWT-TEHG achieves a peak instantaneous wind-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 24.3% at 4 m s^-1. Field applications including self-powered bridge structural health monitoring validate the system’s practicality. This work establishes a novel strategy for low-speed and broadband wind energy harvesting while demonstrating the potential of environmental micro-energy utilization for Internet of Things self-powered applications.

As mine excavation deepens, ventilation systems often face the challenge of insufficient airflow, while the complex environment poses significant obstacles to powering monitoring and alarm sensors. Here, an integrated and efficient self-powered mine wind speed monitoring and alarm system (SLW-MAS) is proposed based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The SLW-MAS, featuring a centrifugal structure design, facilitates hierarchical control of the TENG module, thereby enabling differential responses to wind speeds. When the wind speed is lower than 1.5 m/s, the TENG module is maintained in a horizontal working state under the action of the centrifugal mechanism and produces a high voltage output; the switch circuit is selected through experiments, which makes it meet the alarm delay of 2 s and avoids the problem of inaccurate alarm caused by unstable airflow. This work provides the feasibility for the construction of an underground distributed Internet of Things monitoring and alarm system.

The advancement of digital microfluidics technology has been pivotal in academic research and engineering applications. However, the prevailing limitation is that traditional voltage sources generate an excess of Joule heat, adversely impacting droplet operation. Moreover, the power supply equipment required by digital microfluidics limits its applications. Here, we propose a self-powered microdroplet manipulation (SMDM) via triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which presents a capability for splitting and mixing different kinds of droplets. Fundamentally, SMDM is based on the electroosmotic flow principle, thereby enabling droplet splitting in the range of from 2 to 630 μL. Notably, for droplet splitting in the range of from 5 to 60 μL, the TENG only requires a power output ranging from 2.704 to 6.084 mW. In addition, SMDM demonstrates proficiency in droplet mixing, which achieves complete mixing of 10 μL droplets in 60 s and 30 μL droplets in a mere 53 s. Therefore, leveraging the strengths of the TENG, a self-powered microdroplet manipulated system is designed for digital microfluidics. It carries significant advantages over the traditional voltage source, including self-powered, low-Joule heat, increased safety and enhanced portability. This research provides a new solution for portable applications of digital microfluidics.