Liquid Jet-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator.
Wenqi Wang1,2, Jie Meng1, Liqiang Zhang1,3
1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|October 15, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel liquid-jet triboelectric nanogenerator (PR-TENG) that overcomes efficiency limits in energy harvesting. By converting continuous flow into high-frequency droplets, PR-TENG significantly boosts electrical output for flow-based applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Harvesting
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Solid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) face efficiency limitations due to the electric double layer (EDL) shielding effect.
- Continuous liquid flow in conventional TENGs hinders optimal energy conversion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a liquid-jet triboelectric nanogenerator (PR-TENG) that overcomes EDL shielding effects.
- To enhance energy harvesting efficiency from continuous water flow.
Main Methods:
- Exploiting Plateau-Rayleigh instability to convert low-frequency flow into high-frequency droplets.
- Utilizing droplet-fusion-induced triboelectrification, surface charge trapping, and charge redistribution for energy generation.
Main Results:
- Achieved a contact-separation frequency of approximately 50 Hz, avoiding continuous flow shielding.
- Generated an output current exceeding 100 µA at a flow rate of 320 mL min⁻¹, approximately 120 times greater than conventional droplet TENGs.
- Demonstrated potential for continuous flow energy harvesting and water-level monitoring.
Conclusions:
- PR-TENG significantly improves electrical output performance compared to existing flow-based TENGs.
- This technology offers an effective solution for harvesting energy from continuous water flow.
- The PR-TENG mechanism opens new avenues for efficient nanogenerator design.
Keywords:
Plateau‐Rayleigh instabilitycharge transferenergy harvestingliquid jettransformation of waterMore Related Videos
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