Recent Advances in Self‐Powered Tribo‐/Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters: All‐In‐One Package for Future Smart Technologies

TLDR

Electric devices are essential in modern smart societies, and the energy research community is exploring triboelectric/piezoelectric nanogenerators as promising, cost‑effective, flexible, lightweight, durable, and high‑performance renewable energy harvesters that can capture energy from water waves, wind, sound, vibrations, and body motions, making them an all‑in‑one package of abundant natural sources. This paper reviews the potential use of PNGs/TNGs, covering their rise, underlying mechanisms, materials, models, applications, and future prospects. The review discusses the underlying mechanisms of PNGs/TNGs, including material choices and modeling approaches. These harvesting technologies are expected to dominate the future smart world due to their significant effects.

Abstract

Electric devices has become a necessity in modern smart societies. The energy research community is continually exploring new solutions that can be employed as potential and reliable alternatives to satisfy future energy requirements in this context. Triboelectric/piezoelectric nanogenerators (TNGs/PNGs) are considered promising renewable energy harvesting technologies. TNGs/PNGs are gaining considerable research attention because of their advantages such as ease of fabrication, cost effectiveness, flexibility, lightweightness, long-term-durability, and excellent output performance. The TNGs/PNGs have enormous potential in harvesting energy from water waves (blue energy), airflow (wind energy), sound frequency (acoustic energy), vibrations/mechanical motions (such as body motions activities/sleeping), and in vivo body motions. These technologies are thus an “all-in-one package,” which is a unique selling point. The advantage of this technology is that all sources are natural and abundant. This paper provides a review of the potential use of PNGs/TNGs and includes a description of the rise of nanogenerators, their underlying mechanisms, different materials used, various models, possible applications, and future prospects. Stored energy can be used to develop smart/informative technologies (as ultrasensitive sensors) and self-powered biomedical science. Owing to their considerable effects, these harvesting technologies are expected to dominate the future smart world.