Surface texturing and dielectric property tuning toward boosting of triboelectric nanogenerator performance

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have revealed widespread success in converting ambient mechanical energy into electric power. However, the challenge remains to improve the output performance for extensive applications. Herein, a strategy of combining surface texturing and dielectric constant control is developed to enhance the output performance of poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based TENGs. The introduction of highly dielectric particles significantly enhanced the dielectric constant and surface charge potential of the PDMS film, supported by both experimental analysis and COMSOL simulation. With an optimized weight ratio, an output voltage of ∼390 V (peak to peak), a short-circuit current density of ∼170 mA m⁻², and a charge density of ∼108 μC m⁻² were obtained, corresponding to the peak power density of 9.6 W m⁻², showing a 10-fold power improvement compared with flat PDMS-based TENGs. This work demonstrates a promising strategy for exploring high performance triboelectric generators.