Wide Bandwidth High-Power Triboelectric Energy Harvesting by Scotch Tape

A triboelectric generator was proposed using commercial tape materials, which are composed of metalized poly(ethylene terephthalate) films to serve as electrodes and Scotch tape layers for power generation. Power extraction is achieved by the interaction between polypropylene and the acrylic adhesive layer when pressing and releasing, in which the atomic size gaps are formed due to van der Waals forces at the interface. The proposed triboelectric generator was sandwiched between two plastic plates to lead to a vibration-based energy harvester design with a mass attached to the top. Shaker tests were conducted by varying the vibration frequency, tape layer, and type. A peak power of 45 mW was reached at 40 Hz when using two long-lasting tape layers. The acrylic adhesive layer of long-lasting tape is thicker than other Scotch tapes, which results in higher power generation by the narrowing of atomic gaps. Combining two long-lasting tape layers and two box-lock tape layers produced a 53 mW peak power. Powering of a laser diode was demonstrated at 120 Hz. Current triboelectric generator concept can be applied to a biosensor and acoustic sensor design, as demonstrated in the paper as well.