Self-powered flexible printed circuit board with integrated triboelectric generator

We present a self-powered flexible printed circuit (FPC) board with an integrated zigzag-shaped triboelectric generator (TEG). This is the first time the fabrication of a TEG has been adapted for industrial production, making the fabrication procedure efficient and low-cost. Multiple friction pairs were integrated in a single TEG cell. The TEG with 10 integrated friction pairs has achieved a voltage of about 620 V with a current density of 45.1 mu A/cm(2). Continuous periodic output was generated under periodic impacts under frequencies ranging from 2 Hz to 15 Hz. Most importantly, the FPC technology makes it simple to integrate electronic components with the TEG to form a self-powered system. As an example, 100 LEDs mounted on the FPC board can be directly illuminated by finger pressing. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.