Enhancing Output Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerator via Charge Clamping

Abstract As a microenergy harvesting device, the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has long been limited by their surface charges. In this work, an enhancement of the output performance of TENGs via charge clamping (CC‐TENG) is proposed. The device is comprised of a mechanical‐switch direct‐current TENG (MDC‐TENG), charge clamping module (CCM), and main‐TENG. During operation, the CCM is employed to accumulate and clamp the unidirectional charge generated by the MDC‐TENG. And then, the accumulated charges flow between CCM and main‐TENG. With the increase of transferred charges, the output performance can be effectively improved. In addition, the MDC‐TENG is employed to reduce both power dissipation and circuit complexity. Furthermore, an integrated device based on the CC‐TENG is demonstrated which harvests wind energy and attains a charge output of 1.01 µC. Moreover, a multimode coupling is adopted, that is, an alternating‐current TENG operating in contact‐separation mode and a direct‐current TENG operating in a lateral‐sliding mode that can be employed in environments for which multiple motions coexist. The device provides a reference to improve output performance in the context of wind energy capture.