Disk-based triboelectric nanogenerator operated by rotational force converted from linear force by a gear system

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an energy harvester which converts ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy. A disk-based rotational TENG converts rotational mechanical energy into electrical energy with advantages over a vertical contact-separation based TENG. Since the disk-based TENG operates in grating-based sliding mode, its electrical output is advantageous in terms of prolonged continuous energy harvesting. However, rotational mechanical energy is less abundant than linear mechanical energy in typical environments. In this work, a new disk-based TENG which converts linear mechanical energy into electrical energy through the use of a gear system (linear-to-rotational TENG, LR-TENG) was fabricated as an experimental device. A TENG based on a vertical contact-separation mode (V-TENG), composed of identical triboelectric materials, was also fabricated as a control device. Here, it is experimentally demonstrated that the electrical output of the LR-TENG was superior to that of the V-TENG at the same magnitude of applied force and at an identical level of applied mechanical energy, as the surface charge density of the LR-TENG is much greater than that of the V-TENG. The LR-TENG can effectively provide power to numerous small electronic devices. Examples include charging a commercial capacitor and lighting commercial LEDs.