Single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator for scavenging friction energy from rolling tires

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a novel energy harvesting device to convert mechanical energy into electricity based on the universally known triboelectric principle. In this work, we demonstrated an innovative design of single-electrode TENG (S-TENG) using PDMS to simulate the tire surfaces for scavenging the wasted friction energy from rolling tires. By fixing the PDMS S-TENG on a rubber wheel, the performance of scavenging friction energy was systematically investigated. The electric output of the S-TENG-on-wheel monotonically increased with the increase of the moving speed and weight load of the wheel. The maximum instantaneous power was obtained to be 1.79 mW at a load resistance of 10 M Omega, corresponding to the highest energy conversion efficiency of 10.4%. Multiple S-TENGs were implemented to the tires of a toy vehicle and instantaneously powered 6 commercial green light emitting diodes (LEDs) while the vehicle was moving on the ground. This successful demonstration provides a promising solution to scavenge the wasted friction energy from rolling tires, which may improve the fuel efficiency or the cruising ability of electric vehicles. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.