Freestanding Triboelectric-Layer-Based Nanogenerators for Harvesting Energy from a Moving Object or Human Motion in Contact and Non-contact Modes

For versatile mechanical energy harvesting from arbitrary moving objects such as humans, a new mode of triboelectric nanogenerator is developed based on the sliding of a freestanding triboelectric-layer between two stationary electrodes on the same plane. With two electrodes alternatively approached by the tribo-charges on the sliding layer, electricity is effectively generated due to electrostatic induction. A unique feature of this nanogenerator is that it can operate in non-contact sliding mode, which greatly increases the lifetime and the efficiency of such devices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.