Experiment and simulation of sliding mode triboelectric energy harvester based on slider-crank mechanism

A simple and affordable triboelectric device is fabricated to harvest mechanical energy and convert it to electrical energy. Based on a double-dielectric-layered (Nylon and PTFE) structure, a lateral sliding mode triboelectric energy harvester (SM-TEH) has been fabricated. The fabricated SM-TEH device is linked to the slider-crank mechanism for smooth operation. The dimension of the fabricated device has been used as 10.1 cm × 10.1 cm. An experimental study has been conducted for various rotational speeds at different external resistance. Additionally, an electrical model has been developed to validate the experimental results. After that, it has been carefully examined to see how the material, structure, and experimental parameters may affect the output performance of the SM-TEH. Later, a thorough investigation of the effects of the dual factors, including the effective triboelectric layer thickness, contact area, external resistance, and rotational speed (in rpm), was conducted. The relationship between conversion efficiency and external resistance is investigated to obtain the maximum efficiency at optimum external resistance. Further, the cost analysis of the SM-TEH device is presented to study the commercialization of the device for practical application. The feasibility of the designed SM-TEH is demonstrated by lighting on 40 red light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The AC signals generated are then converted into DC signals using a bridge rectifier. Capacitors of various sizes (1, 2.2, 3.3, 10, 47 μF) store the output voltage without external load resistance.