Developing an Applicable Design for Cylindrical Non-Contact Triboelectric Nanogenerators to Harvest Hydraulic Energy for Sensing and Detection

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can maintain constant operation in hydraulic systems, even in remote locations. Electrostatic induction drives the triboelectric effect to redistribute a material’s electric charge by the influence of nearby charges that pulls loose electrons in one direction, forming a current that powers the triboelectric effect. Advancements in technology that allows contemporary sensors to be made far more compact than their predecessors, and with a greater need for self-sustaining off-grid sensors, small-scale energy production can provide the necessary power without overshooting the power requirement. Furthermore, unlike a battery TENGs do not need to be replaced. The current design averaged at 248.57 mV and 0.35 mA respectively. As all the energy came from flowing water, a renewable power source, and it does not lose voltage over time, triboelectric nanogenerators could provide opportunities for detection that could be integrated into hard-to-reach hydraulic infrastructure.