Dynamically self-adjustable liquid–liquid and self-adaptive soft-contact solid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator for wave energy harvesting

Yong Long^{¹^,²^,^§}, Bingqi Zhao^{²^,³^,^§}, Jianan Niu^{²^,³}, Yuxiu Liu^{²^,³}, Wei Sha^{²^,³}, Jiangwen Wang^{²^,³}, Zhong Lin Wang^{¹^,²^,³}

(), Weiguo Hu^{¹^,²^,³}

()

1Guangzhou Institute of Blue Energy, Knowledge City, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510555, China

2Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China

3School of Nanoscience and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

^§ Yong Long and Bingqi Zhao contributed equally to this work.

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The paper presents a novel ellipsoidal, pendulum-like triboelectric nanogenerator (LS-TENG) that integrates both liquid–liquid (L–L) and solid–solid (S–S) triboelectric effects, designed for efficient wave energy harvesting and continuous, self-powered marine environment monitoring. The innovative structure, with dynamically self-adjustable L–L interfaces and self-adaptive soft S–S contacts, significantly enhances energy harvesting efficiency and protects the device from mechanical wear, offering a promising solution for sustainable energy generation in marine environments.

Abstract

Water wave energy exhibits great potential to alleviate the global energy crisis. However, harvesting and utilizing wave energy are challenging due to its irregularity, randomness, and low frequency. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have gained significant attention for harvesting wave energy with high efficiency. This study presents a novel ellipsoidal, pendulum-like TENG integrating both liquid–liquid (L–L) and solid–solid (S–S) triboelectricity (LS-TENG). This innovative design enables continuous wave energy harvesting and self-powered marine environment monitoring under various conditions, including temperature, humidity, and light intensity. The binary immiscible liquids within the LS-TENG’s inner soft balloon create dynamic, and self-adjustable L–L contact interfaces, significantly increasing the L–L contact area and enhancing L–L contact electrification (CE). The unique self-adaptive, soft S–S contact increases the S–S contact area compared to traditional hard point contact, better adapting to the irregular movements of waves and promoting efficient S–S CE. The LS-TENG achieves highly efficient wave energy harvesting by coupling L–L and S–S CE. Furthermore, the unique soft contact design protects the S–S interfaces from mechanical wear and damage during long-term work. The LS-TENG’s novel structure provides an innovative and effective way for water wave energy harvesting.

Keywords

self-adaptive soft-contact solid–solid liquid–liquid self-adjustable triboelectric nanogenerator

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References

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