FEP–Nylon Hybrid Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) Research Report

Background: Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) convert ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy through contact electrification and electrostatic induction. The choice of triboelectric material pair and electrode composition critically determines output voltage, charge density, and long-term stability. Methods: A modular TENG was designed using FEP (30 μm) and nylon (0.5 mm) as the negative and positive triboelectric layers, respectively, with copper–graphene hybrid electrodes (25 μm Cu + 300 nm graphene) and a 2.5 mm polyurethane foam spacer. Theoretical performance was evaluated using the effective dielectric separation model and parallel-plate capacitance approximation. A surface engraving enhancement factor of 1.73× (1 cm line spacing) was applied to the base charge density (σ₀ = 510 μCm⁻²) to obtain an effective charge density of 882.3 μCm⁻², before deriving all output metrics. Results: For a single 0.01 m² module at 5 Hz, the theoretical open-circuit voltage (Vₒᴄ) is 261.9 kV, the short-circuit current (Iₛᴄ) is 44.1 μA, the charge transfer per cycle is 8.82 μC, and the theoretical power density is 1,155 W/m². Practical output will be substantially reduced by air breakdown, dielectric leakage, surface charge decay, and environmental factors. Parallel connection scales the total current linearly. Conclusions: The proposed FEP–nylon modular TENG with copper–graphene electrodes offers a theoretically high-performance, low-cost, and predominantly recyclable mechanical energy-harvesting design. The interlocking modular architecture enables scalable deployment. Experimental fabrication and characterization are required to validate these projections.