用于收集岸基海浪能的弹簧辅助摩擦纳米发电机

Spring-assisted triboelectric nanogenerator for shore-based ocean wave energy harvesting

海浪能取之不尽,用之不竭,是最重要的可再生能源之一,具有广阔的发掘潜力。本文提出一种用于收集岸基海浪能的新型弹簧辅助摩擦纳米发电机(spring-assisted triboelectric nanogenerator,SS-TENG)。SS-TENG通过“海浪-浮台-弹簧”传动结构实现海浪能的转化,避免了与海水直接接触,减少了腐蚀环境对发电模块的损坏。SS-TENG通过两种方式显著增强了输出性能,一是利用发电模块中弹簧弹性势能的释放增大各个摩擦纳米发电机(triboelectric nanogenerator,TENG)单元电极层与介电层的瞬间接触速度,使得单个TENG单元输出的峰值电流(peak current,IP)从7.36μA增加到12.12μA;二是利用发电模块中各个TENG单元间的同步运动,将它们进行简单的并联即可实现输出的大幅增加,使得单个TENG单元输出的IP从12.12μA增加到4个并联的43.86μA。SS-TENG转化成的电能可为数字计算器充电并成功点亮160盏LED灯,验证了SS-TENG的输出能力。SS-TENG结构简单、制作成本低、输出性能及工作的长期稳定性较好,为岸基海浪能的高效收集及自供电传感器发展提供了新的技术手段。

As one of the most important renewable energy sources,ocean wave energy is inexhaustible and has broad development potential.Herein,we propose a novel spring-assisted triboelectric nanogenerator(SS-TENG)for harvesting shore-based wave energy.SS-TENG realizes ocean wave energy conversion through the“wave-floating platform-spring”transmission structure,which avoids direct contact with seawater and minimizes the damage to the power generation module caused by a corrosive environment.The output performance of SS-TENG is significantly enhanced in two ways.First,by utilizing the elastic potential energy released by the spring,the instantaneous contact speed between the electrode and dielectric layer is boosted,and the peak current(IP)output by a single triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)unit increases from 7.36 to 12.12μA.Second,benefiting from the synchronous movement of each TENG unit,the TENGs can be connected in parallel to achieve the linear increase of IP from 12.12μA for a single unit to 43.86μA for four units.SS-TENG can provide sufficient energy to drive a digital calculator and up to 160 high luminosity LEDs,verifying its superior performance.The proposed design has the merits of modest structure,low production cost,excellent output performance,and long-term stability,and is expected to inspire the development of shore-based wave energy generators and self-sufficient ocean sensors.