A model for the triboelectric nanogenerator with inductive load and its energy boost potential

A new method which exploits energy oscillation between the TENG and an inductive load is proposed to boost the energy output for the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with contact-separation (CS) mode. A time-domain theoretical model is established to analyze the operation of the energy oscillation circuit – (TENG and the inductive circuit) comprehensively. In the model, the TENG is constituted by a series of finite-sized charged planes (FSCP), dielectric materials, and the air-gap. The inductive load is used to promote the oscillation of charge on the TENG. With the newly developed inductive load model, we can observe that, at small load resistance, a boost can be achieved from the voltage on the TENG and the current flowing in the circuit and therefore the energy output observed both from the source (TENG) and on the load (resistor) show increased value. Finally, it is found that for a specific load (resistor) and inductor, the boost performance will reach its peak value for an optimal value of the motion speed for the air-gap between TENG planes (or the variation speed of the mechanic energy). This proposed inductive circuit shows the potential of a standard method for the performance improvement of the energy harvesting scenario using the TENG in particularly for low load impedance.