A sinusoidal alternating output of a triboelectric nanogenerator array with asymmetric-layer-based units.

A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) shows great promise for the energy of the new era. In this study, we present a triboelectric nanogenerator array assembled with multiple asymmetric-layer-based triboelectric units with a sinusoidal alternating output. It raises the possibility that large-scale triboelectric energy may be developed as an alternative energy source. Moreover, we systematically analyzed the device operation to show that the internal capacitance effect controlled the output waveforms. Finally, by tuning the internal capacitance, a TENG array with performances of both stable sinusoidal alternating output and high power density is obtained based on the quantitative evaluations. The optimized TENG array can produce a maximum conversion efficiency of 60% and a load power density of 1.53 kW m-3.