Triboelectric nanogenerator self-heating floor – possibility to achieve intelligence in the architecture

Abstract

Advances in self-heating materials rely on the conversion between various forms of energy, and with the ongoing development of Internet of Things technologies, self-heating materials continue to utilize distributed energy sources. Developing self-heating smart building materials, especially self-heating floors and furniture, while gaining energy storage capability and a fully smart home, remains a formidable challenge. Realizing a complete system of self-supplied electrical and heat energy is a current problem for smart homes. For example, self-powered devices can be used not only in lighting systems but also in distributed electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, alarms, and electrical appliances. In cold seasons, floors and furniture can heat themselves, making smart homes self-sufficient. In an effort to achieve such a system, we have developed a self-heating triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) wood floor with self-heating and energy storage functions. A vertical contact–separation TENG was used as the structure of the self-heating wood floor. The self-heating TENG floor displayed a high electrical output with an open-circuit voltage of up to 240 V and a short-circuit current of 550 nA, which was sufficient to illuminate at least 448 series-connected commercial light-emitting diodes. This self-heating TENG floor provides new opportunities for self-powered and self-heated smart homes and enables the possibility of realizing complete intelligence in the field of construction in the future.