A novel enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator based on interlocking micro/nanostructures

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) convert mechanical energy through contact electrification and electrostatic induction, with performance strongly affected by interfacial topography. Here, we report an interlocking micro/nanostructure-enhanced TENG (ILMS-TENG) fabricated by femtosecond-laser ablation of aluminum and nanoimprinting of complementary PDMS features. The size-matched interlocking interface increases the real contact area and improves charge separation. Among pyramidal, truncated-pyramidal, and square-prismatic designs, the square-prismatic ILMS-TENG achieved the best performance, delivering 37.9 V, 3.40 μA, and 23.9 μW from a 1 cm 2 device, corresponding to a 24.4-fold power enhancement over the flat control. It charged a 4.7 μF capacitor to 5.39 V within 3 min and maintained stable output after 30,000 cycles. The device also enabled self-powered vibration-frequency and pressure sensing, showing potential for underground infrastructure monitoring.