A highly miniaturized freestanding kinetic-impact-based non-resonant hybridized electromagnetic-triboelectric nanogenerator for human induced vibrations harvesting
MT Rahman, SMS Rana, Md Salauddin, Pukar Maharjan, Trilochan Bhatta, Hyunsik Kim, Hyunok Cho, and Jae Yeong ParkApplied Energy, Sep 20, 2020
Energy harvesting from human motion can be considered a promising and sustainable energy source for powering portable electronics and sensors. Herein, a highly miniaturized freestanding kinetic-impact-based hybridized nanogenerator (MFKI-HNG) is presented to harvest human-induced vibrations effectively. The MFKI-HNG was designed to simultaneously generate hybridized outputs under the same mechanical load through a rational integration of an electromagnetic generator (EMG) and a freestanding-mode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). A non-resonant mechanical system with nonlinearity significantly improved the EMG's output performance in the low-frequency vibration range (≤5 Hz). Subsequently, nanowire and micro-nano hierarchical structures developed on tribo-materials further enhanced the output performance of the TENG. After optimizing via theoretical modeling and simulations, the as-fabricated MFKI-HNG was tested using both shaker and human motions. The MFKI-HNG generated maximum output powers of 102.29 mW across the optimum resistances, with a corresponding normalized power density of 3.67 mW cm−3 g−2 at 5 Hz under 10 ms−2 (1 g = 9.8 ms−2). During diverse activities, the MFKI-HNG could harvest a significant amount of energy in different body-worn positions and drive thermo-hygrometers and 380 commercial light-emitting diodes simultaneously. Using a customized power management circuit, the MFKI-HNG can act as a portable power source for modern electronics, such as smartphones and smartwatches. A wireless temperature sensor has successfully run continuously for more than 70 s with the MFKI-HNG from just 6 s of excitations. This study shows the immense potential of harvesting human-induced vibrations via a hybridized nanogenerator for developing a feasible self-powered system for portable/wearable electronics and wireless healthcare monitoring systems.