A single-electrode mode triboelectric nanogenerator based on natural leaves for harvesting energy†

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), as the emerging ambient energy harvesting technology, can effectively convert the low-frequency and chaotic mechanical energy in the environment into electrical energy and have a unique advantage of power supply for micro-nano electronic devices, especially outdoors. Herein, we propose a single-electrode mode triboelectric nanogenerator (G-TENG) based on natural leaves as the friction layer and electrolytes inside the leaves as the electrode layer, which realizes the possibility of quickly generating energy by tapping the leaves in the field without external power supply. Experiments have shown that the electricity generated by tapping on a leaf can light up 225 white LED lights. In addition, an improved portable energy management circuit suitable for G-TENG has been further established to achieve fast charging of capacitors and meet the continuous power supply of electronic devices such as timers and temperature and humidity meters. We believe that this work has great potential for application in the field of outdoor self-power supply.