A high-efficiency bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated nanogenerator
Sicheng Liu, Xi Liu, Guilin Zhou, Fuxiang Qin, Mingxing Jing, Lin Li, Wenlong Song, Zhuangzhi Sun
Abstract
Abstract Currently, the key challenge in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is how to efficiently enhance the surface charge density. Here, a new strategy is proposed to increase the surface charge density by comprehensively utilizing solar energy and tidal energy, and a bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated TENG (Pem-iTENG) is developed. This enhancement of output performance is greatly attributed to the accumulation of photoelectrons from photocatalysis and the triboelectric negative charges from contact electrification. Pem-iTENG shows a maximal open-circuit voltage of 124.2 V and a maximal short-circuit current density of 221.6 μA cm −2 under tidal wave and sunlight, an improvement by nearly a factor of 10 over that of reported TENGs based on solid-liquid contact electrification. More importantly, it exhibits a high energy conversion efficiency according to the evaluation method for solar cells. This work provides insights into development of high-performance TENGs by using different natural energy sources.