Energy Storage Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Ratchet Mechanism for Random Ocean Energy Harvesting

The instability of the ocean waves, such as intermittence, randomness, and irregularity, greatly affects the application of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) in its aspects and leads to the irregularity and uncontrollability of its output performance. Hence, the energy storage TENG (ES-TENG) based on the ratchet mechanism is proposed in this work. The ES-TENG uses the ratchet mechanism to store the wave energy in the clockwork spring and then releases it in a centralized way to convert the wave energy into electric energy. When the ES-TENG adopts this method, the change of external excitation does not affect its output performance. Simultaneously, the shell of the ES-TENG is duck-shaped, which can better adapt to the wave environment. The peak power, open-circuit voltage, and short-circuit current of the ES-TENG are 6.2 mW, 495 V, and 19 mu A, respectively. In the simulated wave experiment, the ES-TENG can successfully drive a temperature sensor. In summary, this work shows an economic, environmental friendly TENG that can adapt to the wave motion, and its output performance is not affected by wave instability, which has an important guiding significance for the further development and utilization of TENG in ocean energy.