Triboelectric effect to harness fluid flow energy

Abstract

We are reporting energy scavenging from fluid flows inside tubular structures using triboelectric effects. Two separate designs of triboelectric generators are proposed. A tubular design that uses liquid-solid interaction mechanism for water, and freestanding flapping films design utilizing contact-separation mechanism for wind flow energies conversions. The developed generators exhibit capabilities to produces power from fluid motions through the tube. Osmotic water having conductivity of 2.05±0.05 μS/cm provides higher triboelectric responses in comparison to tap water (conductivity of 322.0±2.0 μS/cm) flow. An average power of 37.4 μW for an osmotic water flow of82.5±0.5 cm3/s was generated for two pairs of triboelectric generators. Under a wind flow of 8.2±0.1 m/s and using three pairs of generators an average power of 144.8 μW was obtained across an optimum load resistance (RL ) of 7.6 MΩ.