Design & Optimization of Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) for Energy Harvesting at Low Frequencies

To harvest renewable energy from ocean waves, in this research we propose to study innovative triboelectric nanogenerators, a new type of energy harvesters especially good at converting small-scale mechanical motions into electricity. Although ocean wave energy is one of the most abundant and widely distributed renewable energy resources, it has not yet been extensively used due to high cost and inefficiency of typical electromagnetic generators (e.g., turbines). In comparison, the triboelectric nanogenerators can achieve higher energy conversion efficiency at small input mechanical amplitude. We will explore to integrate the triboelectric nanogenerator and piezoelectric harvester together to gain even larger power density. The hybrid nanogenerator prototype is aimed at coupling the triboelectric and piezoelectric effects to build self-powered ocean sensing systems for the Internet-of-Things applications.

Faculty Supervisor:

Lihong Zhang;Mohammad Al Janaideh

Student:

Partner:

Springboard Atlantic Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Clean Technology; Ocean Tech

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: