Charge carrier

Electrical engineering

Physics

Charge density

Nanotechnology

Electrode

Nanogenerator

Energy (signal processing)

Charge (physics)

Energy harvesting

Mechanical energy

Engineering

Voltage

Composite material

Power (physics)

Electrostatic induction

Materials science

Quantum mechanics

Optoelectronics

Triboelectric effect

Nature Communications

As an emerging technology for harvesting mechanical energy, low surface charge density greatly hinders the practical applications of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Here, a high-performance TENG based on charge shuttling is demonstrated. Unlike conventional TENGs with static charges fully constrained on the dielectric surface, the device works based on the shuttling of charges corralled in conduction domains. Driven by the interaction of two quasi-symmetrical domains, shuttling of two mirror charge carriers can be achieved to double the charge output. Based on the mechanism, an ultrahigh projected charge density of 1.85 mC m −2 is obtained in ambient conditions. An integrated device for water wave energy harvesting is also presented, confirming its feasibility for practical applications. The device provides insights into new modes of TENGs using unfixed charges in domains, shedding a new light on high-performance mechanical energy harvesting technology.

Pumping up the charge density of a triboelectric nanogenerator by charge-shuttling