Effects of electrical properties on vibrations via electromechanical coupling in triboelectric energy harvesting

Abstract Vibration energy harvesting has been a popular research topic in recent years and is a promising technology in the development of the Internet of Things. Triboelectric energy harvesting, as a relatively new energy harvesting technique, is drawing attention. However, relevant studies from the perspective of structural dynamics are rare, and a study on how the electrical properties of triboelectric energy harvesters (TEHs) affect their vibration is still missing. In this paper, we perform such a study for TEHs that use the two most common working modes—namely the lateral sliding mode and the vertical contact-separation mode. In the first part of the paper, the coupled electromechanical model of a sliding mode TEH—based on a cantilever beam system involving friction—is established. The effects of the tribo-charge surface density and the load resistance on the vibration of the harvester are investigated. It is found that the effects of the tribo-charge surface density on vibrations are similar to those of mechanical damping, while the load resistance can result in an interesting resistive shunt damping phenomenon which is distinct from the one found in piezoelectric energy harvesters. In the second part, the modelling of a vertical contact-separation mode TEH is established based on a single-degree-of-freedom vibro-impact oscillator, and the effects of the same electrical properties on vibrations are studied. The variation of the tribo-charge surface density can result in both vibration amplitude attenuation and resonance frequency shifting, while the change of the load resistance can influence vibrations only in the case of large tribo-charge surface densities. This study further unveils the electromechanical coupling mechanisms in TEHs and sheds some light on achieving desirable dynamic responses of TEHs via tuning their electrical properties.