Tilting-Sensitive Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Energy Harvesting from Unstable/Fluctuating Surfaces

The invention of triboelectric nanogenerators provides an opportunity to utilize previously wasted mechanical energy. The sway energy of ships that affects navigation and comfort on board has been considered negative in the past. Here, a tilting-sensitive triboelectric nanogenerator (TS-TENG) that can effectively harvest energy from unstable/fluctuating surfaces is demonstrated by using the sway energy of ships. The device adopts integrated blade structures on sliders, which make it sensitive to tilts and guarantee its power output. The response of the device to tilt agitations of different slopes and frequencies is systematically investigated. Rotational symmetry configuration is used to improve the motion stability of the device by excluding extra torque on the sliders. The peak power density and average power density of the TS-TENG can reach 1.41 and 0.1 W m(-3), respectively, in low-frequency and low-amplitude fluctuating conditions. By the excellent performance of harvesting energy from unstable/fluctuating surfaces, the TS-TENG is considered promising for powering various distributed sensor devices on the ship for smart ships.