Abstract
Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an emerging powerful technology for converting ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy through the effect of triboelectricity. Starting from the expanded Maxwell’s equations, the theoretical framework of TENGs has been gradually established. Here, a review is given about its recent progress in constructing of this general theory. The fundamental mechanism of TENGs is constructed by the driving force—Maxwell’s displacement current, which is essentially different from that of electromagnetic generators. Theoretical calculations of the displacement current from a three-dimensional mathematical model are presented, as well as the theoretical studies on the TENGs according to the capacitor models. Furthermore, the figure-of-merits and standards for quantifying the TENG’s output characteristics are discussed, which will provide important guidelines for optimizing the structure and performance of TENGs toward practical applications. Finally, perspectives and challenges are proposed about the basic theory of TENGs and its future technology development.
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This work was supported by the National Key R&D Project from Minister of Science and Technology, China (Grant No. 2016YFA0202704), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51432005, 51702018, and 51561145021), Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS, and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2019M660766). We thank our group members and collaborators for their contributions to the work reviewed here, especially Yunlong Zi, Simiao Niu, Morten Willatzen, Wei Tang, and Haiyang Zou.
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Shao, J., Jiang, T. & Wang, Z. Theoretical foundations of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Sci. China Technol. Sci. 63, 1087–1109 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-020-1604-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-020-1604-9