Abstract:Nowadays, triboelectric nanogenerators have shown their potential in energy harvesting research with far-reaching impacts, since they have simple structure and wide applicability. However, several drawbacks have yet to be overcome for further extension of its application and commercialization. One major issue is friction, the origin of energy generation and a major factor in limiting energy conversion efficiency. The friction induces energy loss by heat dissipation and also causes the loss of friction layers, lowering the device’s durability. Meanwhile, the friction also increases the threshold force required to drive the device. A multi-layer stacked device with increased friction area will be difficult to be powered by slight shaking generated by wind or human walking. This study proposes a shaking pulse generator based on the principle of programmable Triboelectric Nanogenerator to solve the above-mentioned issues. Even if the material of the friction layers is the same, such as the PTFE film, hundreds of volts can still be achieved. Unlike the traditional theory, there is no real contact friction which minimizes energy loss, reduces driving energy, and improves energy conversion efficiency.