High performance rotary triboelectric nanogenerator based on wool charge supplementation strategy with low wear

Triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG) is an emerging method for harvesting mechanical energy. In traditional rotary TENGs(RTENGs), the mutual friction between positive and negative friction materials significantly shortens their operational lifespan.The non-contact triboelectric nanogenerator addresses this issue effectively; however, its low output performance still limits practical applications. In this work, we introduce a novel charge supplementation strategy to enhance the performance of NCRTENGs. This strategy involves directly affixing wool between the Cu electrodes of the NCR-TENG, while the negative friction material is modified by doping with MXene, resulting in a substantial enhancement of output. The voltage, current, and charge transfer increased by 4.5, 4.5, and 4.8 times, respectively, reaching 451 V, 21.2 μA and 47 nC. Furthermore, NCR-TENG demonstrates remarkable stability, maintaining 100% output characteristics after 33,600 cycles. The output power reaches2.3 mW when load resistance is 107Ω. It takes only 0.8 s to charge a 0.1 μF capacitor to 10 V. This work not only improves the output performance of the NCR-TENG but also retains the capability of low-speed startup while maintaining high wear resistance. The simple and effective charge supplementation strategy proposed here provides a new perspective for further improving the output characteristics of NCR-TENGs. NCR-TENG has potential application prospects in harvesting wind energy to power traffic flow sensor networks, detecting environmental and vehicle information, and optimizing traffic signal control.