A tri-functional integrated hybrid energy harvester for the efficient collection of low-frequency environmental vibrational energy

Abstract To address the power supply challenges of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, this study proposes a novel tri-functional integrated hybrid energy harvester (TF-HEH) for efficiently capturing low-frequency environmental vibrations. The TF-HEH integrates triboelectric, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric mechanisms within a compact, 60 g cylindrical structure. Optimized for a 40 mm magnet length, the proposed TF-HEH exhibited high efficiency in converting vibrations into electricity, with peak outputs of 13 μ W (pipe wall triboelectric generator), 17 μ W (pipe cap triboelectric generator), 51.2 μ W (piezoelectric nanogenerators), and 12.3 mW (electromagnetic generator) under a swing input with a 0.5 Hz frequency and 30° amplitude. The lightweight and portable design renders the device suitable for self-powered sensor operation in IoT applications.