Double impact triboelectric nanogenerators for harvesting broadband vibrations from vehicles

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can convert ambient mechanical energy in the form of vibrations into useable electricity. Vehicle vibrations are a wasted source of ambient energy that can be harvested using TENGs. These vibrations can range from very low input frequency at the rear deck to high frequency at the front dashboard. To effectively harvest such variable frequency vibrations, the vibration TENG should be capable of broadband operation. For this purpose, in this work we propose and systematically investigate a double-impact vibration TENG (DIV-TENG) for harvesting vehicle vibrations. First, the system design in terms of mass and stiffness was determined using MATLAB simulations. Next, the behavior of the DIV-TENG under very low input frequency and high input frequency was experimentally investigated and the simulation results were verified. Finally, a multi-unit DIV-TENG integrated tray was installed in a vehicle and the potential of DIV-TENG in harvesting vibrations generated during driving was demonstrated. Thus, through this work we showed the viability of effectively harvesting vehicle vibrations using a TENG and hope to promote its adoption in the automotive industry.