Two-dimensional cobalt telluride as a piezo-tribogenerator

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Energy Harvesting
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising for energy harvesting applications.
• Waste heat represents a significant untapped energy source.
• Piezoelectric and triboelectric effects can be utilized for mechanical energy conversion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of 2D cobalt telluride (CoTe2) for waste heat energy harvesting.
• To develop a piezo-triboelectric nanogenerator (PTNG) utilizing 2D CoTe2.
• To analyze the impact of temperature on the energy conversion efficiency of the PTNG.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a PTNG using 2D CoTe2.
• Experimental measurement of open-circuit voltage and energy conversion efficiency under varying force and temperature (305-363 K).
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for theoretical validation.

Main Results:

• The 2D CoTe2 PTNG generated an open-circuit voltage of ~5 V under 1 N force.
• Energy conversion efficiency improved four-fold with increasing temperature.
• Maximum voltage reached ~10 V with fast response time and high responsivity.
• DFT calculations supported the experimental findings.

Conclusions:

• 2D CoTe2 exhibits significant potential for efficient waste heat energy harvesting.
• The developed PTNG demonstrates excellent performance characteristics.
• This work paves the way for utilizing 2D materials in thermal energy harvesting from various sources and electronic devices.