Fluid Oscillation-Driven Bi-Directional Air Turbine Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Ocean Wave Energy Harvesting

Abstract

Ocean wave energy is one of the important renewable energy sources. However, random, low-frequency, and micro-amplitude characteristics of ocean waves make it difficult for traditional electromagnetic generators to collect wave energy efficiently. The emergence of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) provides an extremely effective technical means for the collection of low-frequency and micro-amplitude wave energy. In this work, a non-contact turntable-structured oscillating water column TENG (OWC-TENG) is designed by combining an OWC wave energy conversion mechanism with a TENG for the first time. The OWC is optimized through simulation experiments according to the principles of ship hydrostatics and wave theory. The output performances of the OWC-TENGs with different structural parameters under different water wave excitation conditions are then tested. The TENG delivers a maximum output current of 55.45 µA and an output power of 5.28 mW, which corresponds to a power density of 114.8 W m⁻³, enabling a stable power supply for small sensors at sea. This work provides a new solution to the efficient collection of low-frequency micro-amplitude ocean wave energy for powering various offshore equipments, presenting broad application prospects in ocean blue energy development and offshore Internet of Things.