Jihoon Chung

Highly reliable wind-rolling triboelectric nanogenerator operating in a wide wind speed range

Triboelectric nanogenerators are aspiring energy harvesting methods that generate electricity from the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction. This study demonstrates the harvesting of wind energy by a wind-rolling triboelectric nanogenerator (WR-TENG). The WR-TENG generates electricity from wind as a lightweight dielectric sphere rotates along the vortex whistle substrate. Increasing the kinetic energy of a dielectric converted from the wind energy is a key factor in fabricating an efficient WR-TENG. Computation fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is introduced to estimate the precise movements of wind flow and to create a vortex flow by adjusting the parameters of the vortex whistle shape to optimize the design parameters to increase the kinetic energy conversion rate. WR-TENG can be utilized as both a self-powered wind velocity sensor and a wind energy harvester. A single unit of WR-TENG produces open-circuit voltage of 11.2 V and closed-circuit current of 1.86 μA. Additionally, findings reveal that the electrical power is enhanced through multiple electrode patterns in a single device and by increasing the number of dielectric spheres inside WR-TENG. The wind-rolling TENG is a novel approach for a sustainable wind-driven TENG that is sensitive and reliable to wind flows to harvest wasted wind energy in the near future.

Cylindrical Water Triboelectric Nanogenerator via Controlling Geometrical Shape of Anodized Aluminum for Enhanced Electrostatic Induction

We demonstrate a cylindrical water triboelectric nanogenerator (CW-TENG) that generates sustainable electrical output. The inner surface of the cylinder was patterned into superhydrophobic and hydrophilic parts to control water flow inside the packaged design of CW-TENG. Here, various thicknesses and roughnesses of the superhydrophobic surface, generated using aluminum oxide nanostructures for enhanced electrostatic induction, were measured to obtain the maximum output and superhydrophobicity. Also, we demonstrate the possibility of using a hydrophilic surface for energy harvesting and as a water reservoir in the packaged design.

Hand-Driven Gyroscopic Hybrid Nanogenerator for Recharging Portable Devices

Abstract With the rise of portable and wearable electronics, a fast‐charging, long‐lasting power solution is needed; thus, there are attempts to harvest energy from the ambient environment. Mechanical energy harvesting through piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators (PENG and TENG) is a promising approach due to their light weight, low cost, and high‐power density in comparison to other technologies. Both types of generators are capable of charging portable and smart devices on their own by converting mechanical energy into electricity. However, most previous methods have excessive input conditions, such as high rpm and input frequency, that can be only applied with other actuators. Here, a hand‐held gyroscopic generator is presented that uses the gyroscopic principle to reach a rotation rate above 8000 rpm with only hand input. The generator comprises a rotating flywheel inside a casing. Both the flywheel and casing have a TENG, and with a hybrid generator, electrical power is produced from rotation, vibration, and centrifugal force during operation. The device shows a consistent open‐circuit voltage (V OC) of 90 V and a closed‐circuit current (I CC) of 11 µA with a frequency of 200 Hz. As a stand‐alone device, this generator can power portable sensors and smartphones through hand rotation.