Cylindrical Shell and Metal Wire-Based Omnidirectional Wind-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator

In this study, we demonstrated a triboelectric nanogenerator composed of a vertical column, and a cylindrical shell, for omnidirectional wind energy harvesting. With a simple structure using a metal wire, the height between the two triboelectric materials can be maintained, and the Al coated shell can also be electrically connected to the electrode. When the shell is deformed by wind, its Al layer and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the outside of the column can be triboelectrically charged. Thus, wind energy can be harvested through a triboelectric energy conversion mechanism. In particular, due to the high flexibility of the shell, the nanogenerator operates even at wind speeds as low as 1 m/s. Although the output voltage is asymmetrical depending on the wind direction due to the metal wire, it was experimentally confirmed that the device can harvest wind energy from all directions. The measured output RMS power was approximately 15 μW at a wind speed of 6 m/s.