Rationally Designed Dual-Mode Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Mechanical Energy by Both Electrostatic Induction and Dielectric Breakdown Effects

With the advantages of its light weight, low cost, and high efficiency especially at low operation frequency, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is considered to be a potential solution for self-powered sensor networks and large-scale renewable blue energy. However, the conventional TENG converts mechanical energy into electrical energy only via either electrostatic induction or electrostatic breakdown. Here, a novel dual-mode TENG is presented, which can simultaneously harvest mechanical energy by electrostatic induction and dielectric breakdown in a single device. Based on the complementary working mechanism, it achieves a great improvement in the output performance with the sum of two TENGs via a single mechanism and reveals the effect of dielectric layer thickness on the triboelectrification, electrostatic induction, and air breakdown. This study establishes a new methodology to optimize TENGs and provides a new tool to investigate the triboelectrification, electrostatic induction and dielectric breakdown simultaneously.