High performance rotary triboelectric nanogenerator based on wool charge supplementation strategy with low wear

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an emerging method for harvesting mechanical energy. In traditional rotary TENGs (R-TENGs), the mutual friction between positive and negative friction materials significantly shortens their operational lifespan. The non-contact triboelectric nanogenerator addresses this issue effectively; however, its low output performance still limits practical applications. In this work, we introduce a novel charge supplementation strategy to enhance the performance of NCR-TENGs. This strategy involves directly affixing wool between the Cu electrodes of the NCR-TENG, while the negative friction material is modified by doping with MXene, resulting in a substantial enhancement of output. The voltage, current, and charge transfer increased by 4.5, 4.5, and 4.8 times, respectively, reaching 451 V, 21.2 µA and 47 nC. Furthermore, NCR-TENG demonstrates remarkable stability, maintaining 100% output characteristics after 33,600 cycles. The output power reaches 2.3 mW when load resistance is 10⁷ Ω. It takes only 0.8 s to charge a 0.1 µF capacitor to 10 V. This work not only improves the output performance of the NCR-TENG but also retains the capability of low-speed startup while maintaining high wear resistance. The simple and effective charge supplementation strategy proposed here provides a new perspective for further improving the output characteristics of NCR-TENGs. NCR-TENG has potential application prospects in harvesting wind energy to power traffic flow sensor networks, detecting environmental and vehicle information, and optimizing traffic signal control.