Extreme Squeezing of Volumetric Triboelectric Charge to a New Record of 224 nC cm^-3 Inspired by Aesop's Fables.

Abstract

Direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENGs) attract attention for their high output and low crest factor. However, inefficient spatial layouts create harmful discharge regions, causing internal charge loss. Inspired by Aesop's fable "The Crow and the Pitcher," projection micro stereolithography integrates densely packed dual-channel charge-collecting electrodes into the slider, developing an Aesop's Fables-inspired DC-TENG (AF-TENG) based on extreme spatial compression. This design creates efficient charge-release pathways and achieves a record surface charge density of 14.2 mC m^- ². To eliminate device dimension effects on performance evaluation, a novel metric, volumetric triboelectric charge, is introduced to normalize charge transport efficiency and provide a universal standard for evaluating DC-TENG designs. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental optimizations enable the AF-TENG to achieve 800 V output and a record 224 nC cm^- ³ volumetric charge, with a fingertip-sized device lighting 32 2 W LEDs and driving hygrometers and calculators, advancing performance and establishing an evaluation system as a benchmark for future DC-TENGs.