Loop-shaped electrode triboelectric nanogenerator for onboard wind-flow energy harvesting

Abstract Wind-flow experienced aboard a moving vehicle is one of the few energy resources which is observed very regularly around humans everyday but remains underexplored and largely untapped so far. To harvest this form of wind energy conveniently, a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a novel loop-shaped electrode (LSE) developed using polyimide film wrapped with aluminum foil has been proposed in this study. The unique construction and arrangement style of the electrode not only provides simultaneous strength and flexibility to endure the high-speed wind but also augments the levels of air flow-induced fluttering. At a wind speed of 5.5 m s −1 , LSE-TENG achieves a power density of 70 mW m −2 and drives several electronic utilities. Further, with its placement on a moving vehicle and the benefit of specific design and performance, LSE-TENG scavenges the energy from the wind-flow experienced aboard the moving vehicle and powers external electronics onboard. This investigation suggests that the simplicity of TENGs and their efficient design procedures together can be highly conducive for effective energy conversion from unconventional and small-scale energy sources.