Mechanical Vibration Energy Harvesting and Vibration Monitoring Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

Mechanical equipment is ubiquitous in industrial production, and the vibration energy generated by its operation usually cannot be effectively harvested, resulting in huge energy waste. Meanwhile, real‐time monitoring of machine operation can be achieved by collecting vibration information. Indeed, vibration energy harvesting and vibration monitoring are of great significance for the development of green energy and machine fault diagnosis. As an emerging power generation technology, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has shown extraordinary potential in the field of vibration energy harvesting and vibration monitoring. First, the theoretical basis, working modes, and triboelectric materials are described. Then, TENG devices for vibration energy harvesting are classified and introduced based on the structural characteristics, and the main advantages and disadvantages are compared. Furthermore, the current research progress of a self‐powered vibration monitoring system based on TENG is introduced. Finally, the shortcomings of triboelectric nanogenerators in this field are analyzed and summarized, and future research directions and application scenarios are prospected.