Miura-Origami-Structured W-Tube Electret Power Generator with Water-Proof and Multifunctional Energy Harvesting Capability

Abstract

Origami, an ancient art of paper folding with a history spanning over 1000 years, can devise ingenious patterns with unique advantages in terms of great flexibility, lightweight, extreme simplicity, and excellent shape adaptability. The poor stability of electret / triboelectric devices in a humid environment is a key challenge faced by researchers worldwide. Inspired from Japanese Muira-origami structures, we propose a W-tube shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (WTN) with the two pieces of electret films encapsulated inside to isolate the humid environment. Besides, it s capable of capturing energy from various moving scenes, including horizontal or vertical pressing, and lateral bending. We have tested multiple parameters of WTN in detail, including the influence of the number of generating units, the original height of equipment, the acceleration and the excitation direction on the output performance. This work combines the ancient origami art with energy conversion technology to create a multifunctional waterproof energy harvesting device.