Lead-free triboelectric nanogenerators towards industry 4.0 applications

Abstract

Sensors are essential for monitoring and measuring parameters in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 era. However, there is a technical hurdle in powering the sensors and fulfilling their essential functions, such as sensing, collecting, and transmitting the data. To overcome this, energy harvesting devices are needed to overcome the limitations of batteries and increase the applications of electronic devices. The environment contains various forms of energy, such as solar, heat, mechanical, and wind energy. However, mechanical energies are easy to harness using piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators due to motions related activities in daily life. Recently invented Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) have opened a wide range of applications for energy harvesting due to their numerous advantages such as low cost, simple fabrication, light weight, high efficiency, and higher power output. However, it is essential to improve the output performance of TENG to develop a self-powered sensor. Several factors, including applied force, frequency, material selection, surface contact area, and temperature, influence the output performance of TENG. Previous studies have examined the effects of material work function, temperature, humidity, and external force on TENG performance. However, there is limited research to enhance the surface contact area, which has a significant impact on the output performance of TENG.