A reusable planar triggered spark-gap switch batched-fabricated with PCB technology for medium- and low-voltage pulse power systems

Triggered spark-gap switch is a popular discharge switch for pulse power systems.Previous studies have focused on planarizing this switch using thin film techniques in order to meet the requirements of compact size in the systems.Such switches are one-shot due to electrodes being too thin to sufficiently resist spark-erosion.Additionally,these switches did not employ any structures in securing internal gas composition,resulting in inconsistent performance under harsh atmospheres.In this work,a novel planar triggered spark-gap switch(PTS)with a hermetically sealed cavity was batched-prepared with printed circuit board(PCB)technology,to achieve reusability with low cost.The proposed PTS was inspected by micro-computed tomography to ensure PCB techniques meet the requirements of machining precision.The results from electrical experiments demonstrated that PCB PTS were consistent and reusable with lifespan over 20 times.The calculated switch voltage and circuit current were consistent with those derived from real-world measurements.Finally,PCB PTS was used to introduce hexanitrostilbene(HNS)pellets in a pulse power system to verify its performance.

Round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator with high output response and low wear to harvest random wind energy

Triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)has made significant progress in wind energy harvesting.As the most advantageous rotary TENG among wind energy harvesters,the severe material wear and the output that fluctuates with wind speed seriously hinder the application of TENG wind energy harvesters.In this study,we propose a round-trip oscillation triboelectric nanogenerator(RTO-TENG)consisting of a crank transmission mechanism and a power generation unit.The RTO-TENG utilizes a simple crank transmission mechanism combined with a zigzag-laminated triboelectric nanogenerator(Z-TENG)to achieve high-performance constant output and low material wear.The crank transmission mechanism can realize the transformation from circular motion to arc reciprocating motion,converting the random wind energy into bi-directional kinetic energy,driving the vertical contact and separation of the Z-TENG.Due to the low transmission ratio(1:1)of the crank transmission mechanism and the consistent frequency of the Z-TENG contact–separation with that of the pendulum,the RTO-TENG’s power generation unit(10 Z-TENGs)is insensitive to changes in wind speed,resulting in a constant and stable output response at various speeds.After 480,000 cycles,the output of RTO-TENG decreased by only 0.9%compared to the initial value of 6μC,and the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)images of the polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)film showed no significant wear on the surface of the friction layer,demonstrating excellent output stability and abrasion resistance of the RTO-TENG wind energy collector’s material.The equipped energy management module,based on a gas discharge tube switch,can further enhance the output performance of the RTO-TENG.After optimizing its inductor parameter L to match the load capacitor,it can charge a 220μF load capacitor to 13.4 V in 40 s,resulting in a 298%improvement in charging speed compared to the voltage of 4.48 V without the management module.Therefore,the RTO-TENG can efficiently provide power to low-power small electronic devices for Internet of Things(IoTs),such as road traffic warning signs and thermo-hygrometers.