3D-printed bearing structural triboelectric nanogenerator for intelligent vehicle monitoring

Maintaining a high working frequency is one of the critical technical solutions to the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for improving its output power. Herein, we propose a bearing structural TENG (BS-TENG), which achieves a speed of nearly 1,500 rpm based on the diversified design of 3D printing. It is vital that a BS-TENG unit delivers a peak power of 0.96 mW under an external load of 8 MΩ and, in addition, charges a capacitor of 1,000 μF to reach a voltage of 4 V that takes merely 80 s at a rotational speed of 600 rpm. The integrated BS-TENG network serves as both an energy harvester and a self-powered high-speed sensing system for the safe operation of vehicles. This study presents an approach for upgrading the working frequency of TENGs and may provide new opportunities for TENGs in intelligent automobile driving systems.