The Effect of Surface Texture on the Power Output of Triboelectric Nanogenerators in a Controlled Environment

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Engineering

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are energy harvesting devices that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. While these devices have become more popular, they are not yet efficient enough for practical use. The power generation of TENGs can be increased by modifying surface area and contact points via textured surfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changing the surface textures of TENGs on electricity produced. TENGs were constructed using the triboelectrification between kapton tape and aluminum tape. Rectangular prisms with 29 x 29 grids of textural shapes (cylindrical, pyramidal, conical, cubical, and an untextured control) were 3D printed to form the surface of the TENGs. It was hypothesized that the pyramidally textured TENGs would generate the most voltage because they would cause the least wear to the TENG. A one-way ANOVA test showed that the effect of texture was significant on output in V, p < 0.001, F(4,4510) = 1650.8199. Post hoc analyses using a Tukey test showed that there was significance among the groups. Specifically, the cylindrical surface textured outputted 30.4%, 163.4%, 263%, and 82.8% more voltage than the control, cubical, pyramidal, and conical TENGs, respectively. However, large degrees of variance and instability were noted. One-way ANOVA and Tukey tests suggested that, in stable conditions, the cylindrical textures fared similarly to the control. However, the conical and pyramidal textures offered significantly more stability in comparison to the other groups. These results indicate that a combination of cylindrically and conically textured TENGs may be the most effective for contact separation mode TENGs.

Location

BS 329

Start Date

3-25-2023 11:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 25th, 11:45 AM

The Effect of Surface Texture on the Power Output of Triboelectric Nanogenerators in a Controlled Environment

BS 329

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are energy harvesting devices that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. While these devices have become more popular, they are not yet efficient enough for practical use. The power generation of TENGs can be increased by modifying surface area and contact points via textured surfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changing the surface textures of TENGs on electricity produced. TENGs were constructed using the triboelectrification between kapton tape and aluminum tape. Rectangular prisms with 29 x 29 grids of textural shapes (cylindrical, pyramidal, conical, cubical, and an untextured control) were 3D printed to form the surface of the TENGs. It was hypothesized that the pyramidally textured TENGs would generate the most voltage because they would cause the least wear to the TENG. A one-way ANOVA test showed that the effect of texture was significant on output in V, p < 0.001, F(4,4510) = 1650.8199. Post hoc analyses using a Tukey test showed that there was significance among the groups. Specifically, the cylindrical surface textured outputted 30.4%, 163.4%, 263%, and 82.8% more voltage than the control, cubical, pyramidal, and conical TENGs, respectively. However, large degrees of variance and instability were noted. One-way ANOVA and Tukey tests suggested that, in stable conditions, the cylindrical textures fared similarly to the control. However, the conical and pyramidal textures offered significantly more stability in comparison to the other groups. These results indicate that a combination of cylindrically and conically textured TENGs may be the most effective for contact separation mode TENGs.