Development of robust and energy boosted triboelectric nanogenerator via increased interfacial area

Abstract

Given the operation conditions where mechanical wear is inevitable, modifying bulk properties of the dielectric layer of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been highlighted to boost energy outputs of TENG. However, several concerns still remain on the modification because wear problem, limited material selectivity and cumbersome process are always required. Herein, we report TENG with a microstructured Al electrode (TENG_ME) as a new approach to modifying bulk properties of the dielectric layer. The microstructured Al electrode is utilized as a component of TENG to increase the interfacial area between the dielectric layer and electrode. Compared to the TENG with a flat Al electrode (TENG_F), the capacitance of TENG_ME is about 1.15 times higher than that of TENG_F, and the corresponding energy outputs of TENG_ME are 117 μA and 71 V, each of which is over 1.2 times higher than those of the TENG_F. The robustness of TENG_ME is also confirmed from the measurement of energy outputs change after sandpaper abrasion test and repetitive contact and separation. The results implies the robustness and long-lasting performance of TENG_ME could be enough to apply in reliable auxiliary power source for electronic devices.