Affiliation:
1. Laboratoire des Systèmes Electriques (LR-11-ES15), Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El
Manar, Tunis, 1068, Tunisie
2. Laboratoire de Mécanique Appliquée et Ingénierie (LR-11-ES19), Ecole Nationale
d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 1068, Tunisie
Abstract
Background:
In order to harvest triboelectric energy for self-powered devices, triboelectric
nanogenerator technology (TENG) is used. It converts mechanical energy into electrical energy using
materials' contact motion.
Objective:
The purpose of this study is to produce electrical energy for different material pairs and under
various contact frequencies using triboelectric separation mode.
Methods:
To produce electricity through triboelectric separation mode, a vibratory exciter was used to
provide the contact frequency between the pairs of materials which were connected to an oscilloscope
by a capacitive electric circuit containing a diode bridge. The studied materials are: Mica, Polyamide
(Nylon), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and Polyethylene terephthalate
(PET). Mica and Nylon are positive charge materials, while PTFE, PVDF, and PET are negative
charge materials. The material pairs are then: Nylon-PVC, Mica-PVC, Nylon-PET, Mica-PET, Nylon-
PTFE, and Mica-PTFE.
Results:
The increase of the contact frequency improves the recovered electrical energy for all the material
pairs. The produced electrical energy can reach 5μJ which allows supply for low consumption devices.
Conclusion:
The research results lead to identify favorable configurations of material pairs and contact
frequencies, allowing to recover enough electrical energy supply to low-power devices.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.