• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.378-393
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• 2022

As an emerging power generation technology, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received increasing attention due to their boundless promise in energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications. The recent rise of soft robotics has sparked widespread enthusiasm for developing flexible and soft sensors and actuators. TENGs have been regarded as promising power sources for driving actuators and self-powered sensors, providing a unique approach for the development of soft robots with soft sensors and actuators. In this review, TENG-based soft robots with different morphologies and different functions are introduced. Among them, the design of biomimetic soft robots that imitate the structure, surface morphology, material properties, and sensing/generating mechanisms of nature has greatly benefited in improving the performance of TENGs. In addition, various bionic soft robots have been well improved compared to previous driving methods due to the simple structure, self-powering characteristics, and tunable output of TENGs. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive review of various studies within specific areas of TENG-enabled soft robotics applications. We first explore various recently developed TENG-based soft robots and a comparative analysis of various device structures, surface morphologies, and nature-inspired materials, and the resulting improvements in TENG performance. Various ubiquitous sensing principles and generation mechanisms used in nature and their analogous artificial TENG designs are demonstrated. Finally, biomimetic applications of TENG enabled in tactile displays as well as in wearable devices, artificial electronic skin and other devices are discussed. System designs, challenges and prospects of TENGs-based sensing and actuation devices in the practical application of soft robotics are analyzed.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 2022

Sustainable energy supplies without the recharging and replacement of charge storage device have become increasingly important. Among various energy harvesters, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has attracted considerable attention due to its high instantaneous output power, broad selection of available materials, eco-friendly and inexpensive fabrication process, and various working modes customized for target applications. The TENG harvests electrical energy from wasted mechanical energy in the ambient environment. TENG devices are very likely to be used in next-generation renewable energy and energy harvesting. TENG devices have the advantage of being able to manufacture very simple power devices. In this experiment, various organic dielectrics and inorganic dielectrics were used to improve the open voltage of TENG, Among the various organic dielectrics, Teflon-based FEP, which has the highest electron affinity, showed the highest open voltage and Al electrode was fabricated on Teflon substrate by sputtering deposition process. And AAO (Anodized Aluminum Oxide) nanostructures were applied to maximize the specific surface area of the TENG device. The power generation of TENG within the acceleration level (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 G) and the frequency range (5-120 Hz) of the domestic transport environment was up to 4 V.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.415.2-415.2
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• 2016

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is one of ways to convert mechanical energy sound, waves, wind, vibrations, and human motions to available electrical energy. The principal mechanism to generate electrical energy is based on contact electrification on material surface and electrostatic induction between electrodes. The performance of TENG are dependent on amount of the input mechanical energy and characteristics of triboelectric materials. Furthermore, the whole TENG system including mechanical structure and electrical system can effect on output performance of TENG. In this work, we investigated the effect of gear train on output performance and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of TENG under a given input energy. We applied the gear train on mechanical structure to improve the contact rate. We measured the output energy under a constant input energy by controlling the size of the working gear. We prepared gears with gear ratios (rin/rw) of 1, 1.7, and 5. Under the constant input energy, the voltage and current from our gear-based TENG system were enhanced up to the maximum of 3.6 times and 4.4 times, respectively. Also, the PCE was increased up to 7 times at input frequency of 1.5 Hz. In order to understand the effect of kinematic design on TENG system, we performed a capacitor experiment with rectification circuit that provide DC voltage and current. Under the input frequency of 4.5 Hz, we obtained a 3 times enhanced rectifying voltage at a gear ratio of 5. The measured capacitor voltage was enhanced up to about 8 fold in using our TENG system. It is attributed that our gear-based TENG system could improve simultaneously the magnitude as well as the generation time of output power, finally enhancing output energy. Therefore, our gear-based TENG system provided an effective way to enhance the PCE of TENGs operating at a given input energy.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.371-377
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• 2022

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices have generated a lot of interest in recent decades. TENG technology, which is one of the technologies for harvesting mechanical energy among the energy wasted in the environment, is obtained by the dual effect of electrostatic induction and triboelectric charging. Recently, a multilayer thin film stacking method (or layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique) is being considered as a method to improve the performance of TENG and apply it to new fields. This LbL assembly technology can not only improve the performance of TENG and successfully overcome the thickness problem in applications, but also present an inexpensive, environmentally friendly process and be used for large-scale and mass production. In this review, recent studies in the accomplishment of LbL-based materials for TENG devices are reviewed, and the potential for energy harvesting devices reviewed so far is checked. The advantages of the TENG device fabricated by applying the LbL technology are discussed, and finally, the direction and perspective of this fabrication technology for the implementation of various ultra-thin TENGs are briefly presented.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 2023

Mechanical energy can be harvested by triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) from biological and environmental systems. In wearable electronics, TENG has a lot of significance as biomechanical energy can be harvested from the motion of humans, which is applied in vibrational sensors. Wearable TENG is prone to moisture and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent hydrophobic material used in these applications. The presence of highly electronegative fluorine atoms leads to very low surface energy. At the same time, the performance of the device increases due to the efficient capture of the electrons on the microporous membrane surface. This similar behavior occurs with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) due to the presence of fluoride atoms, which is relatively less as compared to PTFE.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.93-99
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• 2022

With the rapid development of ultra-small and wearable device technology, continuous electricity supply without spatiotemporal limitations for driving electronic devices is required. Accordingly, Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which utilizes static electricity generated by the contact and separation of two different materials, is being used as a means of effectively harvesting various types of energy dispersed without complex processes and designs due to its simple principle. However, to apply the TENG to real life, it is necessary to increase the electrical output. In addition, stable generation of electrical output, as well as increase in electrical output, is a task to be solved for the commercialization of TENG. In this study, we proposed a method to not only improve the output of TENG but also to stably represent the improved output. This was solved by using the contact layer, which is one of the components of TENG, as an electret for improved output and stability. The utilized electret was manufactured by sequentially performing corona charging-thermal annealing-corona charging on the Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film. Electric charges artificially injected due to corona charging enter a deep trap through the thermal annealing, so an electret that minimizes charge escape was fabricated and used in TENG. The output performance of the manufactured electret was verified by measuring the voltage output of the TENG in vertical contact separation mode, and the electret treated to the corona charging showed an output voltage 12 times higher than that of the pristine FEP film. The time and humidity stability of the electret was confirmed by measuring the output voltage of the TENG after exposing the electret to a general external environment and extreme humidity environment. In addition, it was shown that it can be applied to real-life by operating the LED by applying an electret to the clap-TENG with the motif of clap.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.473-480
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• 2018

In 2012, a new energy capturing method called TENG was suggested for energy harvesting applications. The TENG which captures electric energy in forms of friction or vibration has been researched as a new energy harvesting generation device. However, TENG works on rather high voltage and yields relatively low current, and this requires additional energy conversion and saving methods with either in semiconductive elements or circuitry for its application. Irregular generation from vibration sources rattle under 5Hz especially requires empirical studies. In this article, we suggest a electricity generation platform with energy storage methods. The platform is mounted on large sized animals, and the generation is actively monitored and controlled via Bluetooth-Low Energy to verify the platform.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.365-370
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• 2018

One of the critical parameters to improve the output power for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is the surface charge density. In this work, we modify the tribo-material of TENG by introducing the $TiO_x$ embedded Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in anatase and rutile phase. The effect of dielectric constant and electronic structure of the $TiO_x$ on the capacitance of TENG and the output power as well are discussed. The surface charge density is increased as the control of the dielectric constant in difference weight percent of $TiO_x$ and PDMS. As the results of that, the 5% $TiO_x$ rutile phase and 7% $TiO_x$ anatase phase embedded PDMS exhibit the highest TENG output. The peak value of voltage/current obtained from $TiO_x$ rutile and anatase phase are ${\sim}180V/8.2{\mu}A$ and $211.6V/8.7{\mu}A$, respectively, at the external force of 5 N and working frequency of 5 Hz, which gives over 12-fold and 15-fold power enhancement compared with the TENG based on the pristine PDMS film. This study provides a better understanding for TENG performance enhancement from the materials view.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.93-97
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• 2023

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, and has been considered as a substitute for continuous power supply due to its high performance, simple structure and eco-friendliness. Recently, it is important to develop a TENG using a non-toxic material in order to use it as a power source for wearable, attachable, and body-embeddable electronics. Here, we developed a human friendly TENG using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel containing acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), a non-toxic plasticizer. PVC gels were fabricated using various ratios of PVC and ATBC, and optimized by investigating dielectric properties, surface potential, output performance, and durability. The PVC gel based TENG generates output signals of 73 V and 4.3 μA, i.e., a 5-fold enhancement in the output power compared to pristine PVC-based TENG. In addition, the PVC gel can be stretched over 500% of strain. This study is expected to be helpful in the future development of non-toxic wearable TENG.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.397-397
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• 2016

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) can produce power from ambient mechanical sources and have strong points of high output performance, light weight, low cost, and easy manufacturing process. It is expected that TENG can be utilized in the fields of wireless electronics and self-powered devices in the world which pays attention to healthcare and the IoT. In this work, we focus on scavenging ambient rotational energy by using a durably designed TENG. In previous studies regarding harvesting rotation mode energy, the devices were based on sliding mechanism and durability was not considered as a major issue. However friction by rotation causes reliability problems due to wear and tear. Therefore, in this study, we convert rotary motion to linear motion utilizing a cam by which we can then utilize contact-mode TENG and improve device reliability. In order to increase output performance, bumper springs were used below the TENG and the optimum value for the bumper spring constant was analyzed theoretically. Furthermore, the inserting a soft substrate was proposed and its effect on high output was determined to be due to an increase in the contact area. By increasing the number of cam noses, the output frequency was shown to increase linearly. For the purpose of maximum power transfer, the input impedance of the device was determined. Finally, to demonstrate the use of the C-TENG as a direct power source, it was installed on a commercial bicycle wheel and connected to 180 LEDs. In conclusion we present a rotational motion TENG energy scavenger system designed for enhanced durability and optimized output by appropriate choice of spring constants and substrate.