Power generation from the interaction of a liquid droplet and a liquid membrane.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31118419.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-10232-x and PMC identifier 6531479.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Triboelectric nanogenerators are an energy harvesting technology that relies on the coupling effects of contact electrification and electrostatic induction between two solids or a liquid and a solid. Here, we present a triboelectric nanogenerator that can work based on the interaction between two pure liquids. A liquid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerator is achieved by passing a liquid droplet through a freely suspended liquid membrane. We investigate two kinds of liquid membranes: a grounded membrane and a pre-charged membrane. The falling of a droplet (about 40 μL) can generate a peak power of 137.4 nW by passing through a pre-charged membrane. Moreover, this membrane electrode can also remove and collect electrostatic charges from solid objects, indicating a permeable sensor or charge filter for electronic applications. The liquid-liquid triboelectric nanogenerator can harvest mechanical energy without changing the object motion and it can work for many targets, including raindrops, irrigation currents, microfluidics, and tiny particles.