Largely Enhanced Output of the Non‐Contact Mode Triboelectric Nanogenerator via a Charge Excitation Based on a High Insulation Strategy

Abstract The non‐contact triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on floating plane motion can achieve a very low interface abrasion and high durability. However, the output performance of non‐contact TENG is still less than 72 µC m −2 , due to the decay of tribo‐induced charges in air. Here, this work proposes two different charge excitation strategies for non‐contact mode TENG by elevating the electric insulation strength to avoid air breakdown, while both the external charge excitation and the self‐excitation system are developed. A double dielectric layer capacitance model is also established to analyze the change of charge density. A maximum output charge density of 260.15 µC m −2 is obtained using the external charge excitation with 6 kV excitation voltage. In addition, the self‐excitation strategy with non‐contact mode and more compact system is also demonstrated and an output charge density of 212.5 µC m −2 is achieved with the help of developed voltage multiple circuit, which is 2.97 times of the reported highest record for non‐contact TENG. The charge‐excited TENG via high electric insulation strategy realized in this work provides a promising way for boosting the output performance of TENGs.