Fish gills inspired parallel-cell triboelectric nanogenerator

Triboelectric nanogenerators with stacked multiple cells, exemplified by the serially connected zigzag structure, has intrigued many researchers for its proven excellent performance in harvesting ambient energy. Inspired by the unique structure of fish gills with stacked multiple units, a parallel-cell triboelectric nanogenerator (PC-TENG) that can significantly enhance electric outputs is proposed. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that the PC-TENG could outperform the serially connected zigzag structure by 4.7 times in terms of the power output after the > 64.5% reduction of electrical interference. Under the same testing conditions, the overall volume power density of the developed PC-TENG reaches 143.7 W/m 3 , which is 8.0 times higher than that of the zigzag structure-based triboelectric nanogenerator (Z-TENG) with a similar size. The frequency and reciprocating distance of the excitation are found positively correlated to the output performance of the PC-TENG. The enhanced performance of the PC-TENG is further experimentally demonstrated by the high charging rate of capacitors and lighting LEDs. This work provides new insights in the development of multi-cell triboelectric nanogenerators. • A parallel-cell triboelectric nanogenerator (PC-TENG) inspired by fish gills is developed. • PC-TENG improves the volume power density by 8.0 times as compared to zigzag structure. • PC-TENG reduces electrical interference by 64.5% as compared to zigzag structure. • Relation between excitation parameters and electrical output of PC-TENG is characterized. • Application potential of PC-TENG is demonstrated by charging capacitors and lighting LEDs.