Ultrahigh Power Output from Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Serrated Electrode via Spark Discharge

Abstract An ultrahigh power output from a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a serrated electrode in a low‐frequency contact‐separation mode which is able to directly drive high voltage‐operating devices without the need for an external power supply is demonstrated. When a serrated electrode‐based TENG (SE‐TENG) is driven, the microstructurally serrated electrode creates a spark discharge in the gap between the serrated electrode and a wire, resulting in tremendously boosted triboelectric power output. Based on the spark discharge phenomenon, a boost adaptor is designed to secondarily boost the triboelectric power output performance, and consequently an ultrahigh triboelectric output voltage of 5 kV and current density of 2 A m −2 are achieved. The boost adaptor concept can be applied to any typical TENG for achieving higher power‐generating performance. Finally, two high voltage applications, a Crookes tube and plasma generation, are demonstrated using the SE‐TENG and boost adaptor without any external power supply equipment. The ultrahigh power‐generating SE‐TENG based on the spark discharge phenomenon occurring in the unique electrode structure has considerable potential to operate high voltage applications directly in harsh environments where electricity cannot be supplied.