Triboelectric effect to harness fluid flow energy

Abstract

Abstract We are reporting energy scavenging from fluid flows inside tubular structures using triboelectric effects. Two separate designs of triboelectric generators are proposed. A tubular design that uses liquid-solid interaction mechanism for water, and freestanding flapping films design utilizing contact-separation mechanism for wind flow energies conversions. The developed generators exhibit capabilities to produces power from fluid motions through the tube. Osmotic water having conductivity of 2.05±0.05 μS/cm provides higher triboelectric responses in comparison to tap water (conductivity of 322.0±2.0 μS/cm) flow. An average power of 37.4 μW for an osmotic water flow of82.5±0.5 cm3/s was generated for two pairs of triboelectric generators. Under a wind flow of 8.2±0.1 m/s and using three pairs of generators an average power of 144.8 μW was obtained across an optimum load resistance (RL ) of 7.6 MΩ.