Integrated Solar Panel with Triboelectric Nanogenerator
Harvesting renewable energy (raindrop energy, solar energy, ocean energy, wind energy, etc.) from nature provides a feasible solution for powering widely distributed electronic devices and sensors, while also alleviating the global energy shortage crisis and addressing environmental pollution. Raindrop energy and solar energy, as the two most widely distributed forms of clean energy, both have high energy density, but they are also dependent on climate conditions. Combining raindrop energy and solar energy for complementary energy collection has been proven to be one of the effective solutions for achieving efficient energy collection and sustainable energy supply in all weather conditions. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have advantages such as a wide selection of materials, simple structure, low cost, and high efficiency at low frequencies, making them the optimal means for efficiently converting the widely distributed, low-frequency, and limited driving force of raindrop energy into electrical energy. However, due to the irregular distribution characteristics of raindrop size, frequency, and position, the application of TENGs for extensive raindrop energy collection still faces significant challenges.To achieve the widespread application of raindrop generators, several issues still need to be addressed, such as the irregular rainfall during actual rain processes leading to the output signals of different raindrop generators overlapping or canceling each other; how to reasonably design the raindrop generator array panel and solar cells to achieve efficient complementary energy collection; and how to minimize the complexity of the device array and reduce manufacturing costs. In response to these issues, Academician Zhonglin Wang and his team at the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems conducted detailed research on the integration of raindrop generators and solar cells, proposing a highly transparent, large-area, efficient TENG array panel with a rational electrode structure design for complementary collection of irregular raindrop energy and solar energy.
The researchers utilized high-speed cameras to observe the motion process of droplets in detail with high temporal resolution. The results indicate that the interaction time between droplets and the FEP film surface (with an inclination angle of 30°) is relatively short (approximately 20 ms), and high-frequency droplets also exhibit a certain degree of spatial-temporal separation. More importantly, the authors calculated and analyzed the distribution density and characteristics of actual rainfall, proposing a strategy of using a single shared electrode to replace multiple complex electrodes in the horizontal direction, thereby reducing the integration complexity and manufacturing costs of the array system.
Additionally, by simulating irregular rainfall scenarios and integrating a highly transparent raindrop power generation array with solar panels, the electrical output performance of the raindrop generator and solar cell units was compared in detail for the first time. Under 50 mL min-1 rainfall conditions, the raindrop generator in this work demonstrated a maximum average power density that can exceed the output power of solar cells on cloudy days, proving the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating raindrop TENGs with solar cells.This achievement was recently published in the Advanced Materials journal. PhD student Cuiying Ye, postdoctoral researcher Di Liu, and PhD student Pengfei Chen were the co-first authors of the paper, while Academician Zhonglin Wang and Researcher Tao Jiang were the corresponding authors. This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Natural Science Foundation, the Marine Science and Technology Innovation Project, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Original text (scan or long press the QR code to access the original page):Integrated Solar Panel with Triboelectric Nanogenerator Array for Synergistic Harvesting of Raindrop and Solar EnergyCuiying Ye, Di Liu, Pengfei Chen, Leo N. Y. Cao, Xunjia Li, Tao Jiang, Zhong Lin WangAdv. Mater., 2022, DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209713Mentor IntroductionZhong Lin Wanghttps://www.x-mol.com/university/faculty/48479Click “Read Original” to view all journals in the Chemistry • Materials field
