• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.243-250
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• 2020

Energy harvesting is a recent technology involving the harvest and utilization of extremely small surrounding energy. Energy harvesting research is conducted in various fields. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are energy harvesting technologies that use static electricity generated by physical movement or friction. Although TENGs generate output power in microwatt levels, they experience high internal impedance compared with other energy harvesting generators, thereby making the continuous transfer of electric power to loads difficult. This study proposes a power management system for TENGs that consists of three stages, that is, an AC/DC rectifier, an impedance coupler switch with a capacitor bank, and a DC/DC converter. In addition, the selection method of the AC/DC rectifier and DC/DC converter is proposed to maximize the amount of power transferred from energy harvesting areas. Furthermore, the impedance coupler switch and capacitor bank are discussed in detail. The validity and performance of the proposed three-stage power management system for TENGs are verified using a prototype system.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 2022

Sustainable energy supplies without the recharging and replacement of charge storage device have become increasingly important. Among various energy harvesters, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted considerable attention due to its high instantaneous output power, broad selection of available materials, eco-friendly and inexpensive fabrication process, and various working modes customized for target applications. The TENG harvests electrical energy from wasted mechanical energy in the ambient environment. TENG devices are very likely to be used in next-generation renewable energy and energy harvesting. TENG devices have the advantage of being able to manufacture very simple power devices. In this experiment, various organic dielectrics and inorganic dielectrics were used to improve the open voltage of TENG, Among the various organic dielectrics, Teflon-based FEP, which has the highest electron affinity, showed the highest open voltage and Al electrode was fabricated on Teflon substrate by sputtering deposition process. And AAO (Anodized Aluminum Oxide) nanostructures were applied to maximize the specific surface area of the TENG device. The power generation of TENG within the acceleration level (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 G) and the frequency range (5-120 Hz) of the domestic transport environment was up to 4 V.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2019

Here, we present a facile route to fabricate a vertically stacked 3D porous structure-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that can be used to harvest energy from the friction in a repetitive contact-separation mode. The unit component of TENG consists of thin Al foil electrodes integrated with microstructured 3D foams such as Ni, Cu, and polyurethane (PU), which provide advantageous tribo-surfaces specifically to increase the friction area to the elastomeric counter contact surfaces (i.e., polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS). The periodic contact/separation-induced triboelectric power generation from a single unit of the 3D porous structure-based TENG was up to $0.74mW/m^2$ under a mild condition. To demonstrate the potential applications of our approach, we applied our TENGs to small-scale devices, operating 48 LEDs and capacitors. We envision that this energy harvesting technology can be expanded to the applications of sustainably operating portable electronic devices in a simple and cost-effective manner by effectively harvesting wasted energy resources from the environment.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2021

As opposed to using fossil fuels, we need to use eco-friendly resources such as sunlight, raindrops and wind to produce electricity and combat environmental pollution. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a device that converts mechanical energy into electricity by inducing repetitive contact and separation of two dissimilar materials. During the contact and separation processes, electron flow occurs owing to a change in electric potential of the contacting surface caused by contact electrification and electrostatic induction mechanisms. A solid-solid contact TENG is widely known, but it is possible to generate electricity via liquid-solid contact. Therefore, by designing a hydrophobic TENG, we can gather electricity from raindrop energy in a feasible manner. To fabricate the superhydrophobic surface of TENGs, we employ a dip coating technique to synthesize an octadecylamine (ODA)- and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based coating on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The synthesized coating exhibits superhydrophobicity with a contact angle greater than 150° and generates a current of 2.2 ㎂/L while water droplets fall onto it continuously. Hence, we prepare a box-type TENG, with the ODA/PDMS coating deposited on the inside, and place a 1.5 mL water droplet into it. Resultantly, we confirm that the induced vibration causes continuous impacts between the ODA/PDMS coating and the water, generating approximately 100 pA for each impact.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.378-393
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• 2022

As an emerging power generation technology, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received increasing attention due to their boundless promise in energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications. The recent rise of soft robotics has sparked widespread enthusiasm for developing flexible and soft sensors and actuators. TENGs have been regarded as promising power sources for driving actuators and self-powered sensors, providing a unique approach for the development of soft robots with soft sensors and actuators. In this review, TENG-based soft robots with different morphologies and different functions are introduced. Among them, the design of biomimetic soft robots that imitate the structure, surface morphology, material properties, and sensing/generating mechanisms of nature has greatly benefited in improving the performance of TENGs. In addition, various bionic soft robots have been well improved compared to previous driving methods due to the simple structure, self-powering characteristics, and tunable output of TENGs. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive review of various studies within specific areas of TENG-enabled soft robotics applications. We first explore various recently developed TENG-based soft robots and a comparative analysis of various device structures, surface morphologies, and nature-inspired materials, and the resulting improvements in TENG performance. Various ubiquitous sensing principles and generation mechanisms used in nature and their analogous artificial TENG designs are demonstrated. Finally, biomimetic applications of TENG enabled in tactile displays as well as in wearable devices, artificial electronic skin and other devices are discussed. System designs, challenges and prospects of TENGs-based sensing and actuation devices in the practical application of soft robotics are analyzed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2022

With the rapid development of ultra-small and wearable device technology, continuous electricity supply without spatiotemporal limitations for driving electronic devices is required. Accordingly, Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which utilizes static electricity generated by the contact and separation of two different materials, is being used as a means of effectively harvesting various types of energy dispersed without complex processes and designs due to its simple principle. However, to apply the TENG to real life, it is necessary to increase the electrical output. In addition, stable generation of electrical output, as well as increase in electrical output, is a task to be solved for the commercialization of TENG. In this study, we proposed a method to not only improve the output of TENG but also to stably represent the improved output. This was solved by using the contact layer, which is one of the components of TENG, as an electret for improved output and stability. The utilized electret was manufactured by sequentially performing corona charging-thermal annealing-corona charging on the Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film. Electric charges artificially injected due to corona charging enter a deep trap through the thermal annealing, so an electret that minimizes charge escape was fabricated and used in TENG. The output performance of the manufactured electret was verified by measuring the voltage output of the TENG in vertical contact separation mode, and the electret treated to the corona charging showed an output voltage 12 times higher than that of the pristine FEP film. The time and humidity stability of the electret was confirmed by measuring the output voltage of the TENG after exposing the electret to a general external environment and extreme humidity environment. In addition, it was shown that it can be applied to real-life by operating the LED by applying an electret to the clap-TENG with the motif of clap.