INFLUENCE OF THE THICKNESS OF THE FRICTION SURFACES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TRIBOELECTRIC NANOGENERATOR

Abstract

The present study investigates the influence of the thickness of the friction surfaces of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) on the electrostatic charge (ESC). Five types of TENGs were tested where the thickness of the friction materials was variable. Permanent magnets were inserted under one of the contact surfaces. It was found that ESC drastically decreased with increasing the thickness of contact surface. It may be attributed to the material transfer from one surface to the second one. After contact-separation, it seems that changes in the contact area of the two surfaces can change the magnitude of charging. At sliding, severe rubbing of materials introduces strains that disturb the electrons and reverse their transfer direction. As the thickness of the rubbed surfaces increases, the deformation increases. In addition to that, internal strains in the matrix of the material may alter the charge transfer direction. In presence of magnetic field, voltage increased with increasing the field intensity.