Fundamental Understanding of Multicellular Triboelectric Nanogenerator with Different Electrical Configurations

The single-cell triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) often produces insufficient energy, leading to the use of a multicellular TENG structure. This work experimented with and simulated a dual-cell TENG with various configurations in parallel and series arrangements. The working principle of charge generation during each phase of a contact-separation cycle was explained through the analysis and comparison of five electrical configurations of a dual-cell TENG. Our observations indicate that measuring the output charge of a TENG provides a more reliable performance comparison. Finally, multicellular TENG with four cells arranged in an X-shape (X-TENG), self-supporting structure is fabricated and further experimented with, validating our conjectures derived from a dual-cell TENG.

Automated summary

This study investigates the working principle of multicellular triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) through experiments and simulations on a dual-cell TENG. The results provide insights into the charge generation during each phase of a contact-separation cycle and validate the reliability of the findings by measuring the output charge of a TENG.