Title: Investigation of Textile-Based Triboelectric Energy Harvester
Abstract: Triboelectric energy harvesters or Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are one of the most promising candidates for powering wearable and portable devices. Textiles are a potential substrate onto, or into, which wearable technology is increasingly being incorporated but supplying power remains an enduring challenge. TENGs are a potential textile based energy harvesting power supply, which can transform kinetic energy occurring during frictional contact between two dissimilar materials into electricity based on the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction. A significant challenge exists in the integration without losing the performance of the TENG or the original properties (appearance, breathability, washability, and durability) and feel of the textile. My research focuses on a novel design of textile-based TENG with alternate grated strips of positive and negative triboelectric material operating in freestanding triboelectric-layer mode. The TENG with 10 gratings of nylon and PTFE fabric delivers an average power density of 12.82 mW/m2.