Synthesis and fabrication of self-sustainable triboelectric energy case for powering smart electronic devices

In recent times, Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENG) have attained the focus of the scientific community due to its potential as a medium to harvest mechanical energy from the ambient environment. Human motion has been attributed as a source of mechanical energy to drive electronic devices and sensors through TENG. Based on the principles of single electrode TENG, we have developed a Triboelectricity based Stepping and Tapping Energy Case (TESTEC) which magnifies the prospect to power touch electronic devices by utilizing finger tapping and stepping motion. This novel case was constructed with two single electrode TENG operating through the triboelectric mechanism between human skin and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film on the front part and Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) and PET film on the back part. This cost effective device was further tested by attaching with a cell phone at variable load frequency, airgap and finger combinations where the output response increased with the increased frequencies (60-240 BPM) and air gap (1 cm-5 cm). Maximum output voltages of 14.8 V and 50.8 V were obtained for the front and back parts, respectively. Besides, maximum output powers were observed to be 3.78 W/m(2) at 0.46 M Omega and 6.21 W/m(2) at 1.02 M Omega, respectively. Also, the device was tested by integrating with conventional electronic components including capacitors, bridge rectifiers and 15 LEDs. Based on the results, a electrical circuit has been proposed to power touch cell phones. The device was further modified using Silver (Ag) nanoparticles in the front part. The modified TESTEC provided higher output response compared to the primary TESTEC. The TESTEC can be a self sustainable way to power touch electronic devices which can reudce the necessity to charge electronics devices in the conventional way.