Polymeric Triboelectric Nanogenerator: Effects Of Polymer Type, Geometry, And Porosity On Triboelectrification

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENGs), based on the principles of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, have recently been viewed as a promising approach to harvest mechanical energy, which would otherwise be wasted through dissipation to surrounding. Large contact area and large surface area have been identified as the basic design principles to promote the performances of TENGs. In this study, particulate leaching method was used to introduce and tailor the open-cell morphology of negative triboelectric layers in TENGs. The effects of material type, material geometry, open-cell morphology on the level of triboelectrification induced by mechanical motions were also investigated. Experimental results revealed that polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) performed better than high density polyethylene (HDPE) as the negative triboelectric layer of the TENG. Furthermore, increasing the contact area, reducing the thickness, and introducing fine pores would enhance the performances of TENGs.