Triboelectric nanogenerators for blue energy harvesting in simulated wave conditions

Energy harvesting gadgets gained momentum with the proposal of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). They can be used to efficiently convert otherwise wasted surface and underwater waves into electricity to power marine-based devices and equipment without greenhouse emissions. In this study, a commercial buoy is modified and a pendulum-like TENG is proposed for ocean wave energy harvesting. Polyurethane (PU) foam and poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) were utilized as triboelectric couple. From the measurements taken under simulated real case situations in a wave flume, maximum voltage and current values were recorded as 145 V and 8.9 µA, respectively, with a maximum power output of 1.1 W/m2. No performance loss was observed even after 1200 cycles of stability measurement. While presenting the results from the simulated environment, this study highlights and reveals the importance of measurements taken in real situations for understanding the effectiveness of the wave energy harvesters.