A current-enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator with crossed rollers for harvesting wave energy

To enhance the adaptability and usability of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) in wave environments, a current-enhanced TENG with crossed rollers (CE-TENG) is proposed in this work for harvesting wave energy. This study successfully addresses the issue of charge neutralization in roller-type TENGs with an innovative design of cross-roller electrodes, significantly enhancing wave energy harvesting ability. Based on this novel design, the CE-TENG exhibits excellent performance in various conditions and applications, showing its practical usability in real-world scenarios. The results indicate that the CE-TENG, compared with traditional designs, boosts the mean output current by 2.53 times and enhances energy harvesting ability by 10.27 times. The CE-TENG achieves a mean power of 274.48 µW and peak output power of 2.27 mW, successfully enabling data transmission for wireless sensors and powering warning radar monitoring. The cross-roller electrodes in CE-TENG realize the efficient utilization of space and performance enhancement of roller-type TENGs. This study expands the high-performance electrode design possibilities of TENGs for harvesting wave energy, improving their service capabilities in wave energy environments and offering a power supply solution for low-power marine equipment.