p-n Junction Based Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerator by Conjunction of Tribovoltaic Effect and Photovoltaic Effect

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted much interest in recent years, due to its effectiveness and low cost for converting high-entropy mechanical energy into electric power. The traditional TENGs generate an alternating current, which requires a rectifier to provide a direct-current (DC) power supply. Herein, a dynamic p-n junction based direct-current triboelectric nanogenerator (DTENG) is demonstrated. When a p-Si wafer is sliding on a n-GaN wafer, carriers are generated at the interface and a DC current is produced along the direction of the built-in electric field, which is called the tribovoltatic effect. Simultaneously, an UV light is illuminated on the p-n junction to enhance the output. The results indicate that the current increases 13 times and the voltage increases 4 times under UV light (365 nm, 28 mW/cm2) irradiation. This work demonstrates the coupling between the tribovoltaic effect and the photovoltaic effect in DTENG semiconductors, promoting further development for energy harvesting in mechanical energy and photon energy.