A research team of the School of Mechanical Engineering consisting of Prof. Lee Sang-min, Chung Ji-hoon and Heo Deok-jae who are participating in a master’s degree program developed an Ion-enhanced field emission triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG).

TENGs are gaining worldwide attention as portable power devices thanks to their simple manufacturing process, low cost and high power density. In particular, given that the energy harvesting technology generates electricity by using discarded energy, electrostatic devices that use static electricity and electrostatic induction which occurs when two different surfaces contact, have emerged as energy sources worthy of attention.

Conventional triboelectric nanogenerators have an issue of low effective power (<1mW). Also, they have several drawbacks as their volume gets increased by additional components or circuits and special packaging costs are charged to prevent damage caused by a high surface charge.

The research team increased the power output of TENGs by 635 percent by using ion-enhanced field emission and electron avalanche.

Images from Prof. Lee’s Research Team

Prof. Lee said, “Through the research, we addressed the drawbacks of triboelectric nanogenerators and amplified the output power. We expect that the research outcome could be utilized in various ways.”

The research article “Ion-enhanced field emission triboelectric nanogenerator” was featured on the cover of the prestigious international journal “Advanced Energy Materials.”

Cover Image of Advanced Energy Materials