Wave-adaptive floating platform for hybrid triboelectric-electromagnetic energy harvesting toward marine IoT systems

Ocean wave energy harvesting based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) holds great promise, yet the industrial application necessitates advancements in manufacturing and environmental adaptability. Here, a triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator designed for an energy-harvesting floating bridge (EB-TEMG) is proposed. The TENG component is fabricated using fully encapsulated 3D printing, while the integrated electromagnetic generator (EMG) component efficiently harvests mechanical energy during device operation. Furthermore, a tuned float whose length is matched to the dominant wavelength maximizes pitch motion for efficient wave energy capture. Multiple EB-TEMG units can be interconnected via hinges to form an energy-harvesting floating bridge, offering a scalable alternative to meter-scale device designs while seamlessly integrating infrastructure with clean energy harvesting. The device exhibits excellent output performance across a broad frequency range (0.5–2 Hz), with peak powers of 10.91 mW (TENG component) and 51.32 mW (1 coil in EMG component). Additionally, the device shows only a 6% decay in the output of the TENG component after 324,000 cycles in a linear motor. The EB-TEMG can not only power small electronics but also enable continuous real-time wireless transmission of marine data, thereby contributing to the further development of Marine Internet of Things (IoT) systems.