Nano-Enhanced Triboelectric Generators: Investigating Additive Effects on Output Voltage

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed an increasing amount of attention coming to triboelectric generators (TEGs) as a means of harvesting energy from various sources, such as mechanical vibrations, wind, and even human motion. The ability to automatically convert mechanical energy into electrical energy without requiring external power sources, which makes them easily applied. Due to this quality, TEGs have many applications, like self-powered devices, wireless sensors, and renewable energy systems. In TEGs, a triboelectric material gives off electrical charges upon contact with another material. Such material features as electrical conductivity and dielectric constant play a decisive role in TEG efficiency. Among the research projects on increasing triboelectric properties, the use of nano-additives is one of the techniques extensively studied. In this research, the triboelectric characteristics of the polymer nanocomposites that are reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), silica (SiO 2 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), or a blend of them are studied when they are used as tribo-materials. The above dielectric nanoparticles can be added to modify the dielectric constant of the composite, which influences the triboelectric effect. Reinforcement concentration and rubbing time are adjusted in different ways and impact the output voltage. This study aims to uncover the possibility of using nano-reinforced polymers in TEG and other devices based on material triboelectricity.