(181ah) Polymer Based Cost-Effective Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Triboelectric nanogenerators have been the focus of many researchers as a powerful mechanical energy harvester, with advantages of high efficiency and easy scalability. The need to improve the performance such as the power output of a triboelectric nanogenerator, has demanded a further understanding on force and energy conversions. In this study, a simple, cost effective triboelectric nanogenerator is constructed consisting of two separate and cost-effective materials of polycarbonate and low-density polyethylene as triboelectric pair. Considerate amounts of voltage were generated by mechanical energy from everyday body motion, which can be converted into electrical energy. The triboelectric nanogenerator can generate a maximum of 100 V, ~ 100 µA at 120 beat per minute (bpm) at an alternating current. The triboelectric nanogenerator is converted from an AC to DC using a bridge rectifier, achieving the same number of voltage and current. The high voltage of the triboelectric nanogenerator is contributed by the simplicity and the proper material selection. The mechanism serves as an essential approach to optimize the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators for practical applications as well as demonstrated the benefit of using triboelectric nanogenerator to harvest large scale mechanical energy.