Origami-tessellation-based triboelectric nanogenerator for energy harvesting with application in road pavement

The output performance of the current origami inspired Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENGs) are limited by the simple origami pattern used as the TENGs base. Here, we propose a kind of origami tessellation (OT) base to enhance the electric output performance of TENG and facilitate its application in road pavement for energy harvesting. The OT base provides multi layers facets to install tribo-pairs and can be driven by very small stimulation owing to the resilience of the structure. It can be operated effectively under either traction or compression depending on the initial configuration of the OT base. Besides, the foldability of the OT base makes easily the developed devices to be fitted thin gap in the road pavement. A series of mechanical tests are carried out to study the output performance of a quadrangular prism shape OT-TENG based on the Arc pattern under different boundary conditions and frequencies. To guarantee the motion synchronicity of the OT base, a strip-shape OT-TENG based on the Miura pattern is designed to obviously increase the output performance as the number of the tribo-pairs increases. Then, the tracking board test shows the potential application of the OT-TENGs for pavement vibration energy harvesting. By constructing a two-dimensional network of the OT-TENGs in pavement, the devices will provide a feasible green energy to meet the energy need of the intelligent transportation systems in the future. The outcomes of this work offer a novel OT-TENG design with great potential to dramatically enhance the output performance of TENGs devices in more general shape space and more flexible environment for vibration energy harvesting. A sketch of the developed Miura pattern OT-TENGs in application of pavement vibration energy harvesting: (a) Perspective of the device arrangement in the pavement; (b) Illustration of the energy harvesting unit; (c) Illustration of the OT-TENG device; (d) Illustration of the Miura pattern OT base; (e) Illustration of the tribo-pair installed in the OT base. • Origami tessellation (OT) based TENGs are proposed to greatly enhance the electric output. • OT bases provide multi shapes and multi layers facets to install tribo-pairs. • OT-TENGS can be operated effectively under either traction or compression. • OT-TENGS have great potential application for pavement vibration energy harvesting.