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The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has demonstrated exceptional efficiency in harvesting diverse forms of mechanical energy and converting it into electrical energy. This technology is particularly valuable for powering low-energy electronic devices and self-powered sensors. Most traditional TENGs use single-sided patterned friction pairs, which restrict their effective contact area and overall performance. Here, we propose a novel TENG that incorporates microwave patterned aluminum (MC-Al) foil and microcone structured polydimethylsiloxane (MC-PDMS). This innovative design utilizes two PMMA molds featuring identical micro-hole arrays ablated by a CO2 laser, making it both cost-effective and easy to fabricate. A novel room imprinting technique has been employed to create the micromorphology of aluminum (Al) foil using the PMMA mold with shallower micro-hole arrays. Compared to TENGs with flat friction layers and single-side-patterned friction layers, the double-side-patterned MW-MC-TENG demonstrates superior output performance due to increased cone deformation and contact area. The open-circuit voltage of the MW-MC-TENG can reach 141 V, while the short-circuit current can attain 71.5 μA, corresponding to a current density of 2.86 µA/cm2. The power density reaches 1.4 mW/cm2 when the resistance is 15 MΩ, and it can charge a 0.1 μF capacitor to 2.01 V in 2.28 s. In addition, the MW-MC-TENG can function as an insole device to harvest walking energy, power 11 LED bulbs, monitor step speed, and power a timer device. Therefore, the MW-MC-TENG has significant application potential in micro-wearable devices.
Lin et al. (Fri,) studied this question.