A novel triboelectric generators using microneedle-structured polydimethysiloxane

What is it about?

Triboelectric generators (TEGs) or triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are energy generating devices that can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. A facile method and novel mechanism using microneedle (MN)-structured polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) for TEG/TENG applications, which can convert wasted mechanical energy into electricity. The MN-TEG is a TEG device consisting of an aluminum foil and microneedle-structured polydimethylsiloxane (MN-PDMS) film. A simple, low-cost, rapid-fabrication method using CO2 laser ablation on a polymethyl methacrylate master mold and molding process is used.

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Why is it important?

The MN-PDMS has a great increase in randomly closed bending–friction–deformation behavior of the MNs that highly enhances triboelectric performance of the MN-TEG. By hand tapping, the new high-aspect-ratio MN-TEG can generate a high output performance with an open-circuit voltage up to 102.8 V and a short-circuit current of 43.1 mA, corresponding to a current density of 1.5 mA cm-2. The MN-TEGs durable mechanical working was confirmed over 500 min, that is, more than twenty-times tapping of 1500 sec stable electric power generation. The output energy of the MN-TEG can be stored in capacitors with fast charging and high charging voltage, for example, on a 0.1 mF capacitor up to 2.1 V in about 0.56 sec simply by hand tapping. Impressively, the MN-TEG source under tapping can directly light up 53 LEDs with different colors connected in series.

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