Triboelectric Nanogenerator Using Crumpled Electrified Balls and Operating Method Thereof

High-Output Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Crumpled Waste Aluminum Foil Electrified Balls

This technology is a triboelectric nanogenerator and its manufacturing and operating method, featuring a cylindrical housing with an internal PTFE charge-induction layer and top and bottom electrodes, where crumpled waste aluminum foil balls move vertically under external force to generate electrostatic discharge output.

Aluminum foil is widely used but difficult to recycle due to tearing and contamination, leading to most of it being landfilled or incinerated, which negatively impacts the environment. Existing plate-to-plate triboelectric nanogenerators have limitations, as their output is highly dependent on surface conditions, making it difficult to use deformed or contaminated recycled foil.

This technology utilizes the electron avalanche effect caused by air dielectric breakdown when positively charged crumpled balls approach the electrodes, resulting in high peak voltage, current, and power. Crumpled balls are lighter and quieter than metal balls, and output is maintained even when using contaminated waste foil. It can be applied to self-powered sources for wearable devices and IoT sensors, enabling both waste recycling and eco-friendly energy harvesting.

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Key Features:

• A triboelectric nanogenerator comprising a cylindrical housing with an internal space, an internal PTFE charge-induction layer, a top electrode on the underside of the top substrate, and a bottom electrode on the top surface of the bottom substrate. A structure where 7 to 9 crumpled electrified balls made from waste aluminum foil move vertically within the housing due to external force. A configuration that generates discharge output by forming an electron avalanche and conductive channel through an electric field exceeding the air breakdown threshold just before the positively charged balls contact the electrodes. A housing designed with a cylinder inner diameter-to-height ratio of 1:1.8–2.3 and an inner diameter-to-crumpled ball diameter ratio of 5:2.5–3.5.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of high-efficiency watt-class triboelectric devices based on polarization charge accumulation/discharge and their application to hydrogen production systems.

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