From Waste to Wattage: Converting Wasted Mechanical Energy into Electricity Through Triboelectrification and Electrostatic Induction

Overview

Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal have gained popularity in recent years due to the numerous disadvantages associated with fossil fuels. Despite their popularity and benefits, these sources can be expensive, cumbersome, and not viable for low-voltage applications. Lifesaving low-voltage applications such as disaster monitoring devices and health care devices (like pacemakers and hearing aids) need sustainable energy supplies that do not necessitate frequent power source recharging or replacement. Triboelectrification presents an opportunity to harness otherwise lost mechanical energy. By employing low-cost and readily available materials, a device called the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can be constructed to serve as a dependable, self-sufficient power source without the need for external energy. Due to its high instantaneous output power, eco-friendliness, broad selection of available materials, and customizable working modes to fit specific applications, it is an excellent renewable and green alternative power source. In my experiment, I aimed to determine the most suitable material and surface area to optimize the triboelectric effect and attain the highest output. Additionally, I explored methods to store the generated electricity for future use, with the ultimate objective of establishing a reliable energy source. I built a reusable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) structure with wood planks and springs. I used four pairs of materials (paper and cotton, wool and PVC, glass and Teflon, and human hair and Kapton) based on their electron affinity, and 3 different sizes (48 cm^2, 64 cm^2, 96 cm^2) to build TENGs. Paper and cotton was the control group as cotton is a neutrally charged material. I used wires, aluminum foil, and alligator clips to transfer the charge generated. I used a multimeter to measure the voltage in mV, a Full Wave Bridge Rectifier to convert the TENG generated AC voltage to DC voltage, and a 100uF 50v electrolytic capacitor to store the generated charge. My hypothesis was supported. The results demonstrated that the increase in electronic affinity of the materials and the surface area led to an increase in the magnitude of the generated voltage. Additionally, I successfully constructed a circuit capable of storing the generated charge in incremental steps, resulting in sufficient energy to illuminate a 1.79v Red LED.

Awards (1)

• Category Award: 2

Competition history

• CSEF 2023 Alternative Energy · Entry J0213

Resources

• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF published award list ↗
• CSEF public showcase (Internet Archive capture) ↗

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

• All Energy and Transport projects
• CSEF Energy and Transport projects
• Every CSEF 2023 project
• CSEF Category Award: 2 winners