A highly sensitive magnetic configuration‐based triboelectric nanogenerator for multidirectional vibration energy harvesting and self‐powered environmental monitoring

Summary Vibration energy, which is ubiquitous but usually abandoned energy, has been considered as a promising source of energy to be harvested for future power supply to electronics. In this study, we demonstrate the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a rationally designed bi‐axial vibration responsive magnetic configuration (BVMC). Oblique placement of two magnets enables the system to be bi‐axially sensitive and the superior response of such BVMC to vibrations is explored for further utilized to harvest multidirectional vibration energy in a single device. Energy harvesting performance of the multidirectional vibration stimuli‐responsive TENG, called MS‐TENG, under various vibration conditions is investigated. In addition, the further development of the MS‐TENG with an additional magnet exhibits the full (three‐dimensional) vibration energy harvesting ability. The MS‐TENG is applied under‐the‐hood of an automobile where typically abandoned vibrations occur frequently. Turning on the engine on the ignition enables the arrayed MS‐TENG to generate a stable output just by engine trembling. Furthermore, the normal human motion‐driven vibration is used to charge the commercial capacitor to wirelessly transmit the signal including information of ambient temperature and humidity from the Bluetooth thermo‐hygrometer sensor. Consequently, the present TENG with simple but bi‐axially sensitive magnetic configuration has a great potential to effectively harvest the multidirectional and low‐frequency vibrations around us for future feasible applications.