A cantilever-beam-structured triboelectric nanogenerator for micro-vibration energy harvesting

Triboelectric nanogenerator is a new type of self-powered device that can harvest vibrational energy from the environment. Harvesting low-frequency micro-vibration energy remains challenging for conventional approaches. This study presents a cantilever-beam triboelectric nanogenerator (CB-TENG) that combines resonant mechanical amplification with integrated voltage-multiplying circuitry to enhance energy conversion. The device utilizes a resonant cantilever beam to mechanically amplify micro-scale displacements into effective contact-separation motions, integrated with a voltage-multiplying circuit for enhanced charge accumulation. The results show that the CB-TENG significantly outperforms a comparable piezoelectric bimorph in output power under micro-vibrations (30-90 μm). The TENG can be used to collect low-frequency micro-vibration energy to power equipment operating condition monitoring and sensing networks. It successfully powers commercial electronic devices, such as LEDs and a hygrothermograph, showcasing its potential as a practical power source for equipment condition monitoring and self-powered sensing networks.