The Nano Energy and Devices Team of the School of Physics, Chongqing University published a research paper titled "A High-Performance Bidirectional Direct Current TENG by Triboelectrification of Two Dielectrics and Local Corona Discharge" on May 23, 2022. Chongqing University is the only affiliation and doctoral candidates Shan Chuncai and He Wencong of Chongqing University are first co-authors of the paper. Prof. Guo Hengyu and Prof. Hu Chenguo of Chongqing University are corresponding co-authors.

Triboelectric nano generators (TENGs) are believed to be a promising technology, as it can convert environmental low-frequency mechanical energy into electrical energy for distributed power supply. Metal-medium DC TENG based on triboelectrification (TE) and air breakdown has the advantage of DC output. However, its energy efficiency is limited by its unidirectional and single channel output modes. In this study, a bi-directional double-channel high-output DC triboelectric nano generator (BDC-TENG) is realized based on the triboelectrification and local corona discharge between insulating medium and medium. Unlike the traditional unidirectional single-channel DC generator (DC-TENG), the triboelectrification process of BDC-TENG occurs between two insulating medium materials, and the double-channel output occurs between each medium material and its adjacent metal electrode at the same time. Besides, BDC-TENG exhibits unique properties. The current direction can be adjusted by changing the moving direction of the slider and the electronegativity difference between the two dielectric materials. It has an average output power density as high as 3 Wm – 2, which is 14 times that of the traditional DC-TENG. This Project provided a feasible strategy to improve the output performance of DC-TENG.

Link of the paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202200963