A Soft‐Soft Contact Triboelectric Nanogenerator with a Ternary Four‐Phase Structure for Self‐Powered High‐Efficiency Dust Removal on Mars

Dust removal is essential for sustaining energy supplies in Mars exploration missions and base facilities. Existing devices typically depend on external power supplies, which may be inadequate in the harsh Martian environment. This paper proposes a novel wind-driven ternary four-phase soft-soft contact triboelectric nanogenerator (FPS-TENG) for dust removal. The device's double-stacked soft-soft contact structure outputs high-voltage electricity in four phases, generating a traveling wave electric field on the electrode surface. This field prompts dust particles to align with the wave's direction, enabling automatic dust removal without an external power supply. The FPS-TENG, as a ternary stacked soft-soft contact TENG, achieves output voltages that are 354% and 185% higher than those of conventional binary and ternary TENGs, respectively. Compared with existing dust removal devices, this device can achieve a dust removal efficiency of up to 91.8% for simulated Martian dust, even at lower voltages, without requiring the repositioning of solar panels during the cleaning process. Experimental results validate the system's operation in the Martian environment. This work provides a self-powered, high-efficiency method for dust removal that holds significant promise for promoting wider space exploration and supporting potential future Martian settlements.