“This study redefines the way we understand energy harvesting,” said researcher Ishara Dharmasena. “The tools developed here will help researchers all over the world to exploit the true potential of triboelectric nanogenerators, and to design optimised energy harvesting units for custom applications.”

TENG power output characteristics were analysed using their impedance behaviour as a function of excitation source and device parameters.

Norton’s theorem for two terminal linear electrical networks was extended to represent TENGs, according to ‘Nature of power generation and output optimization criteria for triboelectric nanogenerators‘, published in Advanced Energy Materials, allowing visualisation of their dynamic power output behaviour through small signal analysis. “TENG impedance plots are introduced to accurately determine the peak power point of a given design, which holds paramount importance in understanding and improving TENGs,” according to the paper’s abstract.

Another outcome is a step-by-step guide on how to construct the most efficient TENGs.

“TENGs are ideal for powering wearables, internet of things devices and self-powered electronic applications. This research puts the ATI in a world leading position for designing optimized energy harvesters,” claimed Professor Ravi Silva, director of Surry’s Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute, where the work was done.