Silicone Rubber Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Self-Powered Wide-Range Frequency Vibration Monitoring

With the advancement of automation and intelligent manufacturing, mechanical vibration monitoring has become crucial for equipment health assessment. This study proposes a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-based vibration sensor featuring a silicone rubber composite structure. The sensor comprises a silicone rubber layer sandwiched between polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films backed by conductive fabric electrodes, all supported on a polylactic acid (PLA) arch frame. Through systematic structural optimization, the device employing Dragon Skin-30 silicone (1 mm thickness) and conductive fabric electrodes achieved a significant enhancement in output voltage and superior sensitivity compared to initial designs. The optimized sensor operates over a broad detection range for acceleration (5–50 m/s2), amplitude (0.1–2 mm), and frequency (1–300 Hz), and exhibits high linearity (R2 ≥ 0.97974) in acceleration sensing. Quantitative comparison with existing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) vibration sensors confirms that the proposed SR-TENG outperforms most reported devices in terms of comprehensive detection range and linear sensing performance. Durability tests over 2 h confirmed stable output without degradation. Practical validation on marine blower equipment demonstrated accurate frequency monitoring, closely matching actual vibration characteristics. This work presents a novel approach to self-powered vibration sensing and supports the development of intelligent, sustainable industrial monitoring systems.