Triboelectric nanogenerator as next-generation self-powered sensor for cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have progressed over the years, bringing significant benefits to self-powered sensing owing to the compelling features of high sensitivity, low limitation, and high efficiency. Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure System (CVIS) plays a vital role in realizing intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The use of various sensors for real-time monitoring of information about human, vehicles, roads, and the environment is necessary to achieve CVIS. Therefore, the development of TENG will promote the realization of CVIS, which means that TENG can be considered as a next-generation self-powered sensor for CVIS. With a comprehensive review of the technical architecture of CVIS and fundamental of TENG, the materials, structure designs and corresponding performance of TENG for CVIS among human (pedestrian and driver), vehicle (automobile, non-motorized vehicle and intelligent tire), road and environment are summarized to promote the triboelectric self-powered sensing application to ITS fields. Furthermore, the challenges and future perspective are emphasized for the development of self-powered CVIS. It is anticipated that TENG, as next-generation self-powered sensor for CVIS, will exhibit unique advantage of energy harvesting, traffic information monitoring, safety warning and environmental assessment.