Performance-enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator using the glass transition of polystyrene

Abstract

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) offers improved output power for enhanced performance and throughput at a low cost as a type of practical energy harvester. In this work, a novel method which enhances the output power with the aid of a nano-to-micro morphology and which reduces the fabrication cost via the simple process of the glass transition of a polystyrene (PS) substrate is introduced. The glass transition of the PS quickly produces the nano-to-micro morphology within 1 min with only a heating process in an air environment. The pristine PS substrate was crumpled in a uniaxial or biaxial direction when heated to a temperature of 170 degrees C. Thus, the throughput is notably increased without the use of complicated fabrication processes or high-level equipment. The power enhancement effects of the proposed TENG were characterized. Under the optimized condition, the fabricated nanogenerator showed a fourfold increase in both the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current due to the fourfold enhancement of the surface charge density arising from the crumpled structure compared to a control device without a nano-to-micro structure on the PS substrate. In this case, 160 serially connected light emitting diodes (LEDs) were successfully illuminated with the optimized device, which was 2 cm by 2 cm in size. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved