A wireless triboelectric nanogenerator

TL;DR

This paper introduces a 3D-printed triboelectric nanogenerator made from eco-friendly materials that can wirelessly transmit energy over 3 meters and power smart-home devices securely without extra electronics.

Contribution

The study presents a scalable additive manufacturing method for high-output gPLA-based TENGs capable of wireless energy transmission and secure actuation of smart-home applications.

Findings

Output voltage > 2 kV and peak power of 70 mW

Wireless energy transmission over 3 meters

Enables secure, electronics-free smart-home control

Abstract

We demonstrate a new paradigm for the wireless harvesting of mechanical energy via a 3D-printed triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) which comprises a graphene polylactic acid (gPLA) nanocomposite and Teflon. The synergistic combination of eco-friendly PLA with graphene in our TENG exhibited an output voltage > 2 kV with an instantaneous peak power of 70 mW, which in turn generated a strong electric field to enable the wireless transmission of harvested energy over a distance of 3 m. Specifically, we demonstrate wireless and secure actuatation of smart-home applications such as smart tint windows, temperature sensors, liquid crystal displays, and security alarms either with a single or a specific user-defined passcode of mechanical pulses (e.g., Fibonacci sequence). Notably, such high electric output of a gPLA-based TENG enabled unprecedented wireless transmission of harvested mechanical energy into a capacitor, thus obviating the need for additional electronics or energy sources. The scalable additive manufacturing approach for gPLA-based TENGs, along with their high electrical output can revolutionize the present method of harnessing the mechanical energy available in our environment.