Let's talk TENGs

First of all, let's expand this acronym: a TENG is a triboelectric nanogenerator.  

And what is a triboelectric nanogenerator? It's a type of energy harvesting device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy through the triboelectric effect.  

The triboelectric effect is a phenomenon in which two materials that come into contact and then separate acquire an electric charge. This charge separation occurs due to the transfer of electrons between the materials during the contact and separation process. The two materials will have different tendencies either to gain or lose electrons, meaning one becomes positively charged due to electron loss, whilst the other becomes negatively charged due to electron gain. When said materials are separated, the charge imbalance remains, creating a potential difference between them.  

In this new piece of research, a 3D graphene foam has been successfully used as a tribopositive electrode in a TENG, overcoming (or at least moving in the right direction in terms of progress) some of the known drawbacks found with existing TENGs of high internal impedance (from MΩ to GΩ depending on the material and structure), low durability, limited short-circuit current (nA to μA), structural changes (material deterioration and degradation over time), and post-stress conditions.  

Perfectly exemplifying the idea that innovation begets innovation, it is said that the 3D graphene foam material used was grown by a proprietary process owned by Integrated Graphene Ltd, which produced graphene having a foam morphology directly onto a 125-μm thick Kapton polymide (PI) flexible substrate (Kapton® HN from UK insulations Ltd).  

With publication of the research, and commentary in articles such as that in Composites World that originally caught my eye, I wonder where the world of TENGs will lead to next...and I have my fingers firmly crossed that all involved will give due consideration to seeking patent protection for their innovations before they are publicly disclosed!