A triboelectric nanogenerator for mechanical energy harvesting and as self-powered pressure sensor

Recently, the development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on the natural material have aroused widespread concern. Here, we report a novel bamboo stick-based triboelectric nanogenerator (B-TENG) that can both harvest biomechanical energy and act as a self-powered pressure sensor. The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer and bamboo stick layer form the triboelectric layers, and the conductive copper is used as the conductive electrode. According to the results, the output power of B-TENG can achieve the maximum value (about 217.38 μW) and the internal resistance of B-TENG is 40 MΩ. Besides, the B-TENG can realize the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 169.75 V and short-circuit current (Isc) of 3.6 μA, respectively. Furthermore, the B-TENG can also play the role of a self-powered pressure sensor to reflect the change of pressure. We believe this work will promote the development of TENG devices and self-powered sensor.