Triboelectric Generators Capture the Power of Friction

Mar-05-14 Researchers have created a simple prototype device able to harvest the energy created start-and-stop motions, such as rain drops, wind or human motions.

Professor Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology is leading the team of researchers as they create power generators that take advantage of the triboelectric effect—the term for the electricity created when two objects rub against one another and exchange electrons.

The prototype generator features two circular sheets of metal that are brought into contact through rotary movements. Electrons flow between the sheets when they make contact, and separating the sheets causes one to hold an electrical charge that is isolated by the gap between them. A third disc equipped with electrodes is sandwiched between the metal sheets, which bridges the gap and allows a current to flow. Continuously repeating the process will produce an alternating current.

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