Human Body as a Power Source for Biomechanical Energy Scavenging Based on Electrode-Free Triboelectric Nanogenerators

We demonstrate a human-body-based electrode-free triboelectric nanogenerator that is capable of harvesting biomechanical energy by triboelectrification between the human body and a polymer cloth. A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film with nanostructured surface serves as one triboelectric layer, while the human body plays a dual role of both a triboelectric layer and natural electrode in electricity generation. Due to the appropriate conductivity of the human body, the generated electricity can be acquired from any part of the human body, and as the human body can serve as a natural electrode, our generator nearly can harvest energy from any human motion. The output voltage can reach 25 V during typical running at a loading resistance of 50 M omega, which is sufficient to light up LEDs. Owing to the adaptive configuration, our designed TENGs can be potentially applied in self-powered emergency situations, in outdoor sports, or for field survival.