Segmented Swing-Structured Fur-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Blue Energy toward Marine Environmental Applications

Reducing carbon emissions to realize carbon neutrality is crucial to the environmental protection, and developing clean and renewable energy sources is an effective means to achieve this goal. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) provide a promising energy technology for converting the abundant renewable ocean wave energy on the earth surface. In this work, a segmented swing-structured fur-based TENG (SSF-TENG) is designed and fabricated to harvest low frequency water wave energy. The introduction of soft and dense rabbit furs reduces the frictional resistance and material wear, and the design and optimization of segmented structures further enhance the output performance of TENG. The use of ultra-lubricated bearings makes the SSF-TENG achieve an extended period of energy harvesting of more than 5 min after one triggering, with a total energy conversion efficiency of up to 23.6%. Under the real water wave triggering, the SSF-TENG can deliver a maximum peak power of 6.2 mW and an average power of 0.74 mW. Furthermore, through effective water wave energy harvesting by the SSF-TENG or array, self-powered marine environmental applications are successfully demonstrated, which establishes a solid foundation for large-scale blue energy harvesting and realization of smart oceans.

Automated summary

This study developed a SSF-TENG for harvesting water wave energy, achieving an extended energy harvesting period and high efficiency through optimized design and materials. The SSF-TENG can deliver reliable peak and average power under real water wave triggering, laying a foundation for self-powered marine environmental applications.