NANO GENERATOR

A SEMINAR REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENT FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE OF B TECH IN INDIRA GANDHI
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, SARANG

BY
SIPUN KUMAR PADHY
REGD. NO- 1801105456
ROLL NO.- 372095

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

MS. UTKALIKA PRADHAN
Dr. SOMASHREE PATHY
(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING)

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

INDIRA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,
SARANG, ODISHA
SEPTEMBER-2021

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled “NANO GENERATER” presented by

Sipun Kumar Padhy bearing Registration No. 1801105456 of Electrical
Engineering in Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang has been
completed successfully.

This is in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Bachelor Degree in Electrical

Engineering under Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha.

I wish her/ him success in all future endeavours.

Date:

Place:

Dr. Pranati Das

Associate Professor

Department of Electrical Engineering

Head of Department

Department of Electrical Engineering

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my guides, Asst.

Professor Ms. Utkalika Pradhan and Asst. Professor Dr. Somashree Pathy of
Electrical Engineering for their unflagging support and continuous
encouragement throughout the seminar work. Without their guidance and
persistent help this report would not have been possible.

I must acknowledge the faculties and staffs of Electrical Engineering for their
kind co-operation and encouragement which helped us in completion of this
project.

It’s my great pleasure to acknowledge my colleagues for providing such attention

and precious time. I am especially grateful to our respected teachers in developing
the project and people who have willingly helped us out with their abilities.

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 ABSTRACT

A sustainable power source to meet the needs of energy requirement is very much
essential in modern society as the conventional sources are depleting. Bioenergy,
hydropower, solar, and wind are some of the well-established renewable energy
sources that help to attain the need for energy at mega to gigawatts power scale.
Nanogenerators based on nano energy are the growing technology that facilitate
self-powered systems, sensors, and flexible and portable electronics in the
booming era of IoT (Internet of Things). The nanogenerators can harvest small-
scale energy from the ambient nature and surroundings for efficient utilization.
The nanogenerators were based on piezo, tribo, and pyroelectric effect, and the
first of its kind was developed in the year 2006 by Wang et al. The invention of
nanogenerators is a breakthrough in the field of ambient energy-harvesting
techniques as they are lightweight, easily fabricated, sustainable, and care-free
systems. In this paper, a comprehensive review on fundamentals, performance,
recent developments, and application of nanogenerators in self-powered sensors,
wind energy harvesting, blue energy harvesting, and its integration with solar
photovoltaics are discussed. Finally, the outlook and challenges in the growth of
this technology are also outlined.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

List of Figures iv

1. Introduction 1

2. History and Development of Nano generators 2

3. Working principle 3

4. Types of Nano generator 4

4.1. Nano generators Based on Piezoelectric Effect 4

4.1.1. Applications of PENG 9

4.1.2. Outlook on PENGs 9

4.2. Nano generators Based on the Triboelectric Effect 10

4.2.1. Applications of TENG 11

4.2.2. Outlook on TENGs 12

4.3. Nano generators Based on Pyroelectric Effect 13

5. Advantages of Nano generator 14

6. Disadvantages of Nano generator 15

7. Conclusion 15

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References 16

LIST OF FIGURES

Sl. No. Description of Figure Page No.

1. Parts of Piezoelectric Material 3

2. Piezoelectric Material 8

3. Triboelectric Material 11

4. : Pyroelectric Material 14

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 1. INTRODUCTION:

Energy is an essential requirement for our daily life and sustainable

development of our modern society. Energy is required in transportation,
communication, aviation, and it also powers our computers, TVs, mobile phones,
washing machines, air conditioners, and numerous other electrical and electronic
devices. In the past few decades, the rapid industrialization, urbanization, and
population growth has increased the demand for energy, leading to the
overweening consumption of fossil fuels, which downscales the fossil reserves.
The growing global warming, climate change, and diminution of energy reserves
led to devoted research towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. As per
the 2018 BP (British Petroleum) Energy Outlook, renewable energy is the fastest
growing energy source, which accounts for 40% of the increase in energy .
Bioenergy, hydropower, solar, and wind are some of the well-established
renewable energy sources that help to attain the need for energy at mega to
gigawatts power scale. In the past decades, energy-harvesting techniques have
drawn the limelight Nanomaterials with the expansion of the Internet of Thing
(IoT), sensors, wearable, and portable electronics, mobile phones, automatic
security systems, defense technologies, etc., because they require power sources
that are perpetual and free of maintenance. Generally, such devices rely on
batteries for a power source, which has a limited life and environmental hazards.
In this regard, harvesting the ambient mechanical energy to power up these
devices could be a better choice. Ambient mechanical energy is abundant and the
most significant form of renewable energy source among other sources in the
environment.

This report aims to provide a comprehensive review on piezo-, tribo-, and pyro-
based nanogenerators as sustainable energy-harvesting devices including the
evolution, development, and applications of the nanogenerators in the past decade.
The review is limited to materials used in nanogenerators, the corresponding
growth in their electrical output, and their applications in harvesting various
ambient energies over the years. The history and general overview of the
development of nanogenerators. Then, the working, output power performance,
and applications of piezoelectric nanogenerators.

Nanoscale devices that harvest mechanical energy from the environment

using an array of tiny nanowires are called nano generators. A
NANOGENERATOR is a type of technology which converts mechanical (or)
thermal energy as produced by small scale physical change into electricity. A
nanowire is a nanostructure, with the diameter of the order of a nanometer (10−9
meters). Alternatively, nanowires can be defined as structures that have a

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thickness or diameter constrained to tens of nanometers or less and an
unconstrained length.

2. History and Development of Nano generators :

A silicon nano generator is an energy harvesting device converting the
external kinetic energy into an electrical energy based on the energy conversion
by nano-structured piezoelectric material.
Nanogenerators are generally an energy-harvesting device that generate
electricity from waste mechanical energy from the ambient. Earlier, by the end of
17th century, scientists developed practical means to generate electricity from
friction. The primitive form of friction machine was developed around 1663 .
Later, several researchers worked on this machine to establish the performance. In
1831, the electromagnetic generator was discovered, which is the widely used
generator in thermal power plants still today. In 1878, the Wimshurst machine
based on static electricity was discovered, which became a popular static
electricity generator. In 1929, the famous Van de Graaff generator was invented,
which produces very high-voltage direct current. The modern Van de Graaff
generators can achieve the very high potential of up to 25 megavolts. Later,
technologies were developed to generate electricity based on piezoelectric,
triboelectric, and pyroelectric by applying nanotechnology. The high surface area
and tunable physical and chemical properties of nanoscale structures promise
significantly more efficient technologies that can capture, convert, and store
different forms of energy like thermal, radiant, electrical, chemical, and
mechanical. So far, there are several ambient energy-harvesting techniques that
have been utilized based on the piezoelectric effect, triboelectric effect,
pyroelectric effect, and electromagnetic induction, which converts mechanical
energy into electricity. Nanogenerators are an evolving energy-harvesting
technology that can harvest various classes of mechanical energy such as human
motion (i.e., walking, breathing, running, heartbeat), vibration, flowing water,
raindrops, and wind; even waste heat can be converted into electricity
(pyroelectric effect). The first nanogenerator was developed by Wang in the year
2006 using ZnO nanowires based on the piezoelectric effect, which has a power
conversion efficiency of 17–30%.
There are some available techniques like traditional cantilever-based
resonators and transducers to convert mechanical vibrations into electricity but
they work effectively for high-frequency vibrations only; on other hand,
nanogenerators can be made at nanoscale so that they can effectively harvest the
low-frequency mechanical vibrations. In the case of ZnO nanowires, it can be bent
more than the bulk ZnO without any damage, making it possible to withstand
more strain, and so generates more electricity. The different types of
nanogenerators and their applications are illustrated. The nanogenerators have
shown higher potential and several innovative platforms for mechanical energy
harvesting and self-power sensing and monitoring. As technology is growing,
there is also a sharp increase in the number of publications in the field of

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nanogenerators. As per the source of Science Direct database, there are around
469 publications in the year 2018 alone, which is 1.5 times higher when compared
to 2017.

Figure 1: Piezoelectric Material

Harvesting kinetic energy Nanotechnology Nano generator

Generating electricty
A piezoelectric nanogenerator is an energy harvesting device capable of
converting external kinetic energy into electrical energy via action by a nano-
structured piezoelectric material.
3. Working principle:
A vertically grown nanowire subjected to the laterally moving tip. When
a piezoelectric structure is subjected to the external force by the moving tip, the
deformation occurs throughout the structure. The piezoelectric effect will create
the electrical field inside the nanostructure; the stretched part with the positive
strain will exhibit the positive electrical potential, whereas the compressed part
with the negative strain will show the negative electrical potential. This is due to
the relative displacement of cations with respect to anions in its crystalline
structure.

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 The electrical contact plays an important role to pump out charges in the
surface of the tip. The schottky contact must be formed between the counter
electrode and the tip of the nanowire since the ohmic contact will neutralize the
electrical field generated at the tip. In order to form an effective schottky contact,
the electron affinity(Ea) must be smaller than the work function(φ) of the metal
composing the counter electrode. For the case of ZnO nanowire with the electron
affinity of 4.5 eV, Pt (φ=6.1eV) is a suitable metal to construct the schottky
contact.
By constructing the schottky contact, the electrons will pass to the counter
electrode from the surface of the tip when the counter electrode is in contact with
the regions of the negative potential, whereas no current will be generated when it
is in contact with the regions of the positive potential, in the case of n-type
semiconductive nanostructure (p-type semiconductive structure will exhibit the
reversed phenomenon since the hole is mobile in this case). The formation of
the schottky contact also contributes to the generation of direct current output
signal consequently.
The second case, a model with a vertically grown nanowire stacked between
the ohmic contact at its bottom and the schottky contact at its top is considered.
When the force is applied toward the tip of the nanowire, the uniaxial compressive
is generated in the nanowire. Due to the piezoelectric effect, the tip of
the nanowire will have a negative piezoelectric potential, increasing the Fermi
level at the tip. Since the electrons will then flow from the tip to the bottom
through the external circuit as a result, the positive electrical potential will be
generated at the tip.

4. Types of Nano generator:

Nano generators are typically of 3 types they are-
1.PIEZOELECTRIC (MECHANICAL)
2.TRIBOELECTRIC (MECHANICAL)
3.PYROELECTRIC (THERMAL)

4.1. Nano generators Based on Piezoelectric Effect:

Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) work on the principle of piezoelectric effect,
which means electricity generation when subjected to mechanical stress. In
PENG, two electrodes with balanced fermi levels on a piezoelectric material are
subjected to an external strain, which creates a piezo potential difference between
the internal and external Fermi levels (highest energy state occupied by the
electrons) at the contacts. To balance this difference in Fermi levels, the charge
carriers flow through the external load and a balanced electrostatic level is
reached. Alternatively, applying an electric field on a piezoelectric material can
cause a mechanical strain. There are two cases of PENG, one where the individual
nanostructure (nanowire/nanorod) is subjected to the strain exerted perpendicular

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to the growing direction of the nanowire/nanorod, which leads to the generation of
the electric field. Figure 4a shows the working of PENG when the force is applied
perpendicular to its axis. Nanogenerators Based on Piezoelectric Effect
Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) work on the principle of piezoelectric effect,
which means electricity generation when subjected to mechanical stress. In
PENG, two electrodes with balanced fermi levels on a piezoelectric material are
subjected to an external strain, which creates a piezo potential difference between
the internal and external Fermi levels (highest energy state occupied by the
electrons) at the contacts. To balance this difference in Fermi levels, the charge
carriers flow through the external load and a balanced electrostatic level is
reached. Alternatively, applying an electric field on a piezoelectric material can
cause a mechanical strain. There are two cases of PENG, one where the individual
nanostructure (nanowire/nanorod) is subjected to the strain exerted perpendicular
to the growing direction of the nanowire/nanorod, which leads to the generation of
the electric field. When the force is applied perpendicular to its axis. When a force
is applied perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the nanostructure using
atomic force microscopy probe, one portion of the nanostructure is stretched
(positive strain) while the other undergoes compression (negative strain) . The
stretched surface with positive potential was first contacted by the probe, and at
this interface, the bias voltage is negative. Thus, a reversed bias Schottky diode is
formed with little current. When the probe contacts the compressed side of the
nanostructure with negative potential, a biased positive voltage is formed at the
interface with sharp peak output current as driven by the potential difference
between the two sides. The current flow due to the ohmic contact formed at the
bottom of the nanostructure finally re-balances the electric field generated at the
tip. The conduction is possible only when the top electrode is in contact with the
negative potential, whereas no current will be generated if the top elecrode is in
contact with the positive potential. This is the case for n-type semiconductive
nanostructures; in the case of p-type semiconductive nanostructures, it will exhibit
the reverse phenomenon since the hole is mobile in this case. The other case is
where the external strain is exerted parallel to the growing direction of the
nanostructures. When the force is applied to the tip of the laterally grown
nanowire which is stacked between the Schottky contact and ohmic contact, a
uniaxial compressive is generated in the nanowire. The tip of the nanowire will
have negative potential and increases the Fermi level due to the piezoelectric
effect. As the electrons flow from the tip of the nanowire to the bottom through
the external circuit, positive potential will be generated at the tip. The Schottky
contact blocks the flow of electrons through the nanowires and instead passes the
electrons through the external circuit. When the applied force is removed, the
piezoelectric effect diminishes immediately and a positive potential at the tip gets
neutralized because of the migration of electrons from the bottom electrode to the
top, which produces voltage peak in the opposite direction. Due to the in-situ
rectifying effect of the Schottky contact, the detected output exhibits direct current
characteristics.

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 In their work, Zhu et al. replaced this Schottky contact with PMMA layer to
create a potential barrier for charge accumulation [18]. In this nanogenerator,
when compressive force is applied, a piezopotential field is generated along the
nanowires. As a result of electrostatic force, inductive charges accumulate on the
top and bottom of the electrodes. This is similar to capacitive configuration in
which the strained nanowires can be compared with polarized dipole moments in a
plate capacitor filled by a dielectric material. Once the applied stress is released,
the piezopotential disappears and the electrons flow through the external circuit.
AC output is observed in the cases of capacitive configuration and when the
Schottky diode is a series resistance in the piezoelectric nanogenerators.
To effectively enhance the output power of PENG, several nano wires are
stacked together to effectively synchronize the voltage output of each nanowire.
Two effective integrations of nanowires were developed by Wang. one is vertical-
nanowire-integrated nanogenerator in which the vertically grown nanowires are
stacked together. The working mechanism of vertically integrated PENGs
includes lateral bending and vertical compression of nanowires as explained
earlier. The other one is the lateral-nanowire-integrated nanogenerator, in which
the parallelly grown nanowires are stacked together in the nanogenerator. In
laterally integrated nanogenerators, the deformation of nanowires is always caused
by lateral bending either by bending the substrate or by applying pressure on the
radial direction of the nanowires. The uniform lateral bending of nanowires can be
regarded as the lateral stretching by neglecting the strain distribution in the radial
direction due to the ultra-high aspect ratio of the 1D nanostructures. In a study, the
energy conversion efficiency of both laterally stretched nanowire and vertically
compressed nanowire were compared, and the results showed that the laterally
bent nanowire could generate higher voltage than the compressed one.
The first was developed in the year 2006 based on ZnO nanowires. The
aligned nanowires were deflected by a conductive atomic microscope with
platinum-coated silicon tip in contact mode. The energy output by one ZnO
nanowire (NW) in one discharge event is 0.05 fJ, and the output voltage and
power were ~8 mV and ~0.5 pW. For a nanowire density of 20 µm2 , the output
power density is ~10 pW/µm2. The Schottky barrier formed between the
microscope metal tip and the nanowires generates power with the power
conversion efficiency of 17–30%. Gao and Wang (2007) calculated the
piezoelectric potential distribution of a nanowire of 50 nm diameter and 600 nm
length as 0.3 V(appx) using perturbation theory. The calculation showed that the
piezoelectric potential on the surface of the nanowire is directly proportional to
the lateral displacement of the nanowire and inversely proportional to the length-
to-diameter aspect ratio of the nanowire.
In 2007, Wang et al. developed a vertically aligned ZnO nanogenerator driven
by an ultrasonic wave of frequency 41 kHz, which generated a unidirectional
current of 0.15 nA with an open circuit voltage of 0.7 mV and output power
volume density of 1–4 W/cm3 . This voltage is found to be less when compared to
the one with an atomic microscope probe as the nanowires are less deflected by

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the ultrasonic waves. To effectively harvest the mechanical energy, Qin et al.
designed a microfiber-based PENG in 2008 using a hydrothermal approach with a
ZnO thin film layer as an electrode. This composite structure produces 1–3 mV
output voltage and 4 nA current with a power density of 20–80 mW/cm2 .
Lin et al. (2008) demonstrated the cadmium sulfide (CdS)-based nanogenerator
model similar to the ZnO nanowire-based nanogenerator. The nanowire was
grown using hydrothermal and physical vapor deposition process. The nanowires
produced by physical vapor deposition process seems to produce larger voltage
when compared to the nanowires produced by the hydrothermal method. In 2008,
Yang et al. fabricated a laterally integrated PENG using flexible substrate without
sliding contacts, which are capable of producing alternating current. The
fabricated PENG creates an oscillating output voltage (AC) up to ~50 mV when a
single nanowire is stretched and released with a strain of 0.05–0.1%. Such type of
flexible PENG can be connected in series inside a common substrate to raise the
power output. The laterally integrated PENG is effective over vertically integrated
PENG. Moreover, the output voltage is 15–100 times higher than direct-current
and micro-fiber nanogenerators. Using the same flexible PENG concept later in
2010, Zhu et al. achieved an open circuit voltage of up to 2.03 V, a current of 107
nA, and a power density of ~11 mW/cm3 . The power generated from this PENG
is stored in capacitors and used to light up a commercial light emitting diode
(LED). Further, a peak output power density of ~0.44 mW/cm2 and volume
density of 1.1 W/cm3 can be achieved by optimizing the density of the nanowires
and by integrating 20 layers of nanowires. Lin et al. (2008) used light to tune the
output performance of the CdS-nanowires-based nanogenerators. The light
reduces the height of the Schottky barrier on the nanowires, which gives a positive
voltage output. In 2010, Xu et al. successfully integrated 700 rows of ZnO
nanowires to produce a peak voltage of 1.26 v and a maximum current of 28.8 nA
at a low strain of 0.19%. Based on theoretical calculation, it is found that within
the elastic linear mechanic’s regime, the piezoelectric potential of a nanowire is
proportional to the amount of its deformation. So, in a vertical-nanowire-
integrated nanogenerator, the nanowires are connected in parallel between two
electrodes; as we increase the external strain, their deformation amount increases,
growing consequently with the output voltage. The magnitude of the output
voltage also depends upon the rate at which the external strain is applied. This
high-power output can be used as a power source for neuroprosthetic devices;
however, further research is necessary for effective integration. Huang et al.
(2010) successfully synthesized the first InN (Indium Nitride)-based
nanogenerator. The InN nanowire is grown by vapor–liquid–solid (V-L-S) process
with the use of an Au nanoparticle as a catalyst. The InN-based nanowire
produces both positive and negative piezo-potential, and the maximum reaches up
to 1 V, which is highest among all other nanowires. Nanogenerators based on lead
zirconate titanate PZT nanofibres were demonstrated by Chen et al. (2010). The
PZT nanofibres were fabricated by the electro-spinning process, and fine platinum
wire is used as an electrode, which was assembled on a silicon substrate. The peak
voltage and power output were 1.63 V and 0.03 µW; the output voltage depends

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on the pressure applied to the nanogenerator device. Cha et al. (2011) enhanced
the piezoelectric potential by using nanopore arrays of polyvinylidene fluoride
(PVDF) and sonic driven; when the input sonic power of 100 dB at 100 Hz, the
PENG generates an output of 2.6 V/0.6 µA, which is 5.2 times (piezoelectric
potential)/ 6 times (piezoelectric current) higher than the PENG which uses bulk
PVDF film, under the same sonic power input. In piezoelectric materials, due to
surface desorption and native defects, free charge carriers are formed . Lu et al.
(2012) found that these free charge carriers affect the piezoelectric potential
known as the screening effect. ZnO nanorod was used for the study and they were
illuminated using UV light; the carrier concentration increases up to 5.6 × 1018
cm−3 under 1.2 mW/cm2 illumination. As the UV light intensity increases, carrier
concentration also increases, which makes the current-voltage characteristics
insensitive. The carrier concentration can be reduced by improving the intrinsic
properties using surface passivation, thermal annealing, and oxygen plasma. Pham
et al. (2012) applied a simple thermal annealing treatment to the pristine ZnO
nanorods in the presence of UV light and found the output piezoelectric potential
was 25 times higher.
Kang et al. used GaN nanoporous layers instead of nanowires, using
electrochemical etching process in their PENG. This suppresses the carrier
screening effect and enhances the output voltage. Kang et al. (2017) demonstrated
the transfer of a large area GaN membrane onto a flexible PET substrate in a
transparent flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator using electrochemical lift-off
process resulting in an output voltage and current of 4.2 v and 150 nA. The same
electrochemical lift-off process was used by Johar et al. to fabricate a flexible
PENG by forming a p-n NiO/GaN heterojunction. The lift-off process removes the
residual stress in the GaN layer, which suppresses the free carrier screening. The
developed PENG is capable of harnessing energy from the airflow, finger forces,
and vibrations at a frequency of 20 Hz. Johar et al. (2018) fabricated the GaN
(Gallium Nitride)-based piezoelectric nanogenerator using Ni as contact metal.
The output performance was enhanced by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as
a dielectric medium between GaN nanowire and Ni electrode. A maximum output
voltage and current of 15 V and 85 nA were generated.

Figure 2: Piezoelectric Material

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4.1.1. Applications of PENG:
A.PENGs acts as a sustainable power supply for various smart applications like
self-powered nano/microsensors, self-powered electronics, wearable/flexible
electronics, and biomedical applications.
B. Chemically reinforced composite-based PENG produces a maximum AC
voltage of 65 V, which is converted into DC output using a filling wave bridge
rectifier to charge capacitors and power LEDs.
C. PENGs were also used in solar PV cells for improved power conversion
efficiency. A tandem nanogenerator was developed by integrating silicon
nanopillar solar cell with PVDF nanogenerator; this device was capable of
harvesting energy from both sound waves and solar energy. It is a silicon-based
nanoheterostructure photovoltaic device, which is based on the piezo-phototronic
effect. The efficiency of the solar cell was improved from 8.97% to 9.51%.
D. An organic piezoelectric nanogenerator based on multilayer structure of PVDF
NFL mats, followed by PEDOT coating, which exhibits an open circuit voltage of
48 Volts under the stress of 8.3 kPa. This power output suggests its application in
the field of self-powered wearable and portable electronics.
E. This makes it capable of noise detection, wind energy harvesting, security
monitoring, and also useful in self-powered sensors. There are several security
systems sensors like transport monitoring, wireless sensors, and biomedical
sensors based on PENGs, which holds practical importance.

4.1.2. Outlook on PENGs:

The PENGs have high output performance when compared to the other
piezoelectric energy-harvesting techniques. The ZnO-based flexible
nanogenerators were able to produce power output 11–22 times higher than the
PZT-based bulk cantilever energy harvester. The multifunctional piezoelectric
nanogenerators are the exact source of power for wearable and implantable
devices. As these nanogenerators are integrated with electronics, dresses, and
human bodies, future development should be focused on flexibility, durability,
and stability. Organic polymers with high flexibility have to be identified to
replace the existing organic polymers. The research on semiconducting nanowires
is crucial to further improve the performance and the applications of PENGs. The
first PENG was based on ZnO nanowires, and there were several improved
models with ZnO nanowires. Apart from these, various other 1D nanomaterials
like CdS, GaN, ZnS, InN, CdSe, InAs and 2D MoS2 that have good piezoelectric
potential were also studied. Optimization of structural design, integration, and
packing of nanogenerators for self-powered sensors are some of the future

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requirements that have to be addressed for efficient electromechanical energy
conversion.

4.2. Nano generators Based on the Triboelectric Effect:

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) work on the combined mechanism of
triboelectrification and electrostatic induction. This device was invented
accidentally when Zhong and his team fabricated a piezoelectric nanogenerator
with a little gap that showed a high output voltage; later, it was found that the high
output was due the triboelectric effect. Triboelectrification refers to charge
generation on the surface of two dissimilar materials when they are brought into
contact. Electrostatic induction is an electricity-generating phenomenon in which
electrons flow from one electrode to another electrode through an external load to
equalize their difference in potential. In TENGs, as the two dissimilar dielectric
materials have a different surface, electron affinities are brought into contact and
the time-varying triboelectric charges are formed on their surfaces, and when they
are separated, an electric potential is formed between them. The mechanism
behind the formation of charges on the surface of the triboelectric material was
not defined clearly and remain highly debated. A fundamental physical model was
formed only in the year 2017, in which the triboelectrification mechanism that has
been known for thousands of years was traced back to Maxwell’s Displacement
current. The materials that show the triboelectrification phenomenon are usually
insulators and have the ability to retain the transferred charges for a long period of
time, and because of this nature, there are many negative effects caused in
industrial manufacturing, transportation, aviation, etc. Back in the late 18th
century, the first triboelectric-based generator named the Wimshurst machine was
built. Later in 1929, the Van de Graff Generator was invented, which is used for
generating high voltage. Later, the triboelectric-based nanogenerator was first
invented in the year 2012, which harvests ambient mechanical/vibration energy .
There are four unique elemental modes of operation of TENGs so far, including
(i) vertical-contact separation mode, (ii) in-plane sliding mode, (iii) single
electrode mode, and iv) freestanding triboelectric layer. The comparison of the
working principle of all the modes of operation is compared. The triboelectric
materials, based on their ability to gain electrons and lose electrons, were arranged
in a series called triboelectric series, published by John Carl Wilcke in 1757.
Traditionally, materials like silk, wool, nylon, and polymers like
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), PVDF, and PDMS were used as a triboelectric
friction layer, but the choice of materials for the electrode is unlimited.
A direct current TENG was designed without using a rectifier by Luo et al. in
2019. This TENG functions by using air break down, which was once a negative
effect in TENGs. This type of DC-TENG is used in making flexible
nanogenerators because of its simple structure. Kang et al. in 2019 systematically

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studied the surface charge potential of metal nanowire-polymer matrix hybrid
layer and its effects for the performance enhancement of TENG. Through
experimentation, it has been found that increasing the density of the metal
nanowire embedded in the polymer matrix resulted in the transfer of more charges
from metal nanowires the polymer film. The efficiency of TENG drops as the
temperature increases and this challenge of operating TENG at high temperatures
was addressed by Xu et al.. The temperature of the TENG was raised to 673 K,
and the dominant deterring factor thermionic emission is prevented by using
preannealing. This study improves the application of TENGs in high-temperature
environments like outer space, jet engine nozzles, and geothermal energy.

Figure 3 : Triboelectric Material

4.2.1. Applications of TENG:

A. Harvesting Blue Energy:
Water wave energy is one of the widely distributed and promising source of
ambient energy, which is conventionally harvested using electromagnetic
generators (EMG). The newly developed TENGs were capable of harvesting this
large-scale blue energy. The main advantage of TENG over EMG is that they can
harvest energy even in the irregular environment and at a low frequency of less
than 5 Hz.
B. Self-Powered Sensors:
There are wireless TENGs with very high output performance that have
applications in actuating smart home application like lights, temperature sensors,
burglar alarms, smart windows, garage doors, etc. The development of TENGs

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contributes largely to the current expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT),
artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous robotics, virtual reality, and human–
machine interfacing ecosystem. The TENG-based intelligent keyboard, touch
screen, E-skin, acoustic sensor, and artificial muscle can be a strong encomium
and a paragon shift in the existing human interface ecosystem.
C. Harvesting Wind Energy:
Wind energy is one of the promising sources of renewable energy source that
requires alternative harvesting methods. Researchers developed a wind-rolling
triboelectric nanogenerator that generates electricity from wind as a lightweight
triboelectric sphere rotates along a vortex whistle substrate.
D. Solar Photovoltaic Technology:
A highly transparent triboelectric nanogenerator has been developed by Liang et
al. to harvest electrostatic energy from flowing water. The TENG is made up of a
fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode and a PTFE film. For high transparency,
the PTFE film was prepared at a thickness of less than 1 µm. The antireflection
coating is also used in the TENG to increase the transmittance so that they can be
integrated into solar cells, building glass, and vehicle glass. Upon the impact of
water, this transparent TENG produces a peak output voltage of 10 V and a
current density of 2 µA/cm2 . The output power density reached 11.56 mW/m2
when connected to 0.5 MΩ resistors.

4.2.2. Outlook on TENGs:

The comparative table shows the triboelectric nanogenerators with various
materials and their respective power output. The maximum voltage output
obtained through research over the years in the field of triboelectric
nanogenerators. The trendline shows a linear improvement in the output voltage of
TENGs over the years. Apart from the choice of materials from the triboelectric
series, by increasing the frictional force between the triboelectric surfaces, the
output performance of the TENG can be enhanced. The output performance of the
TENGs was also largely dependent upon the contact materials used. The contact
materials can be made out of composites by embedding nanoparticles in a polymer
matrix; by doing this, the electrostatic induction can be enhanced by altering the
surface electrification and permittivity. Techniques like forming pyramid-, square-
, and hemisphere-based nanopatterns over the triboelectric surfaces improves the
contact area, thus improving the triboelectrification. This gives a more significant
opportunity for the researchers to improve the efficiency of TENGs through
extensive research at the material level. The DC TENGs opens a new opportunity
for research development in DC energy harvesting and flexible electronics.
Moreover, when compared with PENGs, the output voltage of TENGs are very
high and hence has a wide e range of applications. This endorses a more
significant number of research developments in the field of TENG, unlike PENG.

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4.3.Nano generators Based on Pyroelectric Effect:
Pyroelectric nanogenerators are marvelous energy-harvesting devices of the future
that have the enormous capability of converting thermal energy to electric energy
by utilizing nano-sized pyroelectric materials. The main difference between the
Seebeck effect-based thermal energy harvesters and pyroelectric generators is the
time-dependent temperature. In the Seebeck effect, we cannot generate power
from time-dependent temperature fluctuation because spontaneous polarization is
not possible in the Seebeck effect. The first pyroelectric nanogenerator was
developed in 2012 by the Wang group, which was based on ZnO nanowire arrays.
Yang et al. developed the first of kind thermal energy harvester based on
pyroelectric effect. They used ZnO nanowires in their device, whose pyroelectric
and semiconducting properties creates polarization and charge separation along
the nanowire due to the time-dependent change in temperature. The pyroelectric
current and voltage coefficients are ~1.2–1.5 nC/cm2 K and ~2.5–4 × 104 V/mK,
respectively. The coefficient of heat conversion into electricity is found to be
~0.05–0.08 Vm2 /W. Yang et al. demonstrated a PyENG based on a lead zirconate
titanate (PZT) film, which has a pyroelectric coefficient of about −80 nC/cm2 K.
The developed PyENG, which undergoes a temperature change of 45 K at a rate
of ~0.2 K/s, produces an output voltage and current density of ~22 V and ~171
nA/cm2 . The single output pulse of this PyENG can be used to drive an LCD for
more than 60 s. The researchers, through theoretical calculation and analysis,
found that the high output of the PyENG depends on the pyroelectric coefficient,
the change in temperature, and the thickness of the film. Ko et al. developed a
pyroelectric power generation from relaxor ferroelectric 0.7 Pb (Mg1/3Nb2/3) O3–
0.3PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) as a single crystal. They can develop the generator near the
structural phase–transition temperature. They successfully achieved the open
circuit voltage of 1.1 V and 10 nA at room temperature. From their analysis, they
were confident about developing a pyro generator for high power applications.
Xue et al. developed a wearable pyroelectric nanogenerator by utilizing the excess
heat available naturally from various sources. Mainly, they developed a sensor to
analyze the heat fluctuation from human breathing where it recorded at 5 ◦C
ambient temperature. During the process of utilizing the temperature from human
breath, it is found that the pyroelectric generator generated an open voltage of 42
V and a short circuit of 2.5 µA. During this process, 50 M ohms is connected and
reached up to a maximum of 8.31 microwatts. From the above analysis and
working model, they demonstrate the pyroelectric generator can be used as an
unencumbered wearable mode, which promises the development of energy
harvester for practical applications. Ma et al. designed an enhanced self-powered
UV photoresponse of ferroelectric BaTiO3 by the pyroelectric effect. Using the
BaTio3 developed intrinsic spontaneous polarization with slight temperature
fluctuation. They reported a 365 nm UV light photodetector using the light-
induced pyroelectric force in Ag/BTO/with the response of 0.5 s at the rising
edge. They suggested they can be dramatically enhanced by larger than 1200%
with 2.1 K/S temperature variant. So, they proposed a method to improve 365 nm

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light response by coupling light and heating-induced pyroelectric effect in BTO.
Moalla et al. investigated the monolithically integrated metal insulator metal,
which is a 500 nm thick Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 structure polycrystalline textured for
analyzing the pyroelectric properties. They compared the pyroelectric properties
of polycrystalline PZT film and epitaxial PZT film integrated on silicon, both
statically (with stabilized temperatures) and dynamically (temperature transient as
a pyroelectric generator should work). They calculated the critical difference in
the densities of converted pyroelectric energy with almost two magnitudes.

Figure 4 : Pyroelectric Material

5. ADVANTAGE OF NANO GENERATOR:

A. Piezoelectric and Triboelectric Nano generators have enough output suitable
for self powered system.
B. The output of Triboelectric Nano generators is too good and don’t need
poling. Both organic and inorganic material can be used based on
Triboelectric behavior.
C. The Piezoelectric Nano generators could convert mechanical movement
[Blood pressure, vibrational energy] into electric energy for self
powering Nano devices.
D. Nano generators can harvest waste energy from environment and thus
being a sustainable energy source.

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6. DISADVANTAGE OF NANO GENERATOR:
A. Amount of power generated by nanogenerators is comparatively smalll.
B. Shelf life, means how long these materials are, in other words organic materials
decay very quickly.
C. Nano generators are limited to small duty cycle.
D. Need to be protected from the effect of water

7.CONCLUSION:
A comprehensive review of various types of generators and its applications were
focused in this paper. The invention of nanogenerators is the most significant
milestone in the growing crisis of energy shortage and climate change. Harvesting
ambient mechanical energy for electrical and electronics systems are found to be
sustainable as they move towards minimization, mobility, and performance. It
shows promising potential in the field of transportation, monitoring sensors,
biomedical sensors, wind/wave/water drop energy harvesting, rehabilitation
devices as smart sensors, etc. The nanogenerators are lightweight, made out of
low-cost materials, easily fabricated, are small in size, and above all, give high
output intensity, which makes it a promising technology towards sustainability.
Nanogenerators can be a successful replacement to batteries in the application of
self-powered sensors. Generally, the output voltage of nanogenerators is very high
when compared to their output current. From this review, it has been found that
among the three types of nanogenerators, the triboelectric nanogenerators are
capable of generating higher voltage and power density. This high-voltage low-
current issue can be managed by voltage transformers and rectifiers, which can
boost the current and reduce the voltage. As the source of power to
nanogenerators are intermittent, the output power is not stable, so to provide stable
power to electronics, capacitors and highly efficient power management circuits
can be used. Through transformers, inductors, and electronic logic control
switches, the output power characteristics can be improved. The power density of
TENG is also found to be higher when compared with other types of
nanogenerators and low-frequency electromagnetic power generators. In the case
of blue energy harvesting, efficient system integration with the power
management module has to be considered. One of the key concerns of the
nanogenerators in blue energy harvesting is their durability. Development of
nanogenerators with long durability could be a challenge to researchers.
Moreover, nanogenerators can be hybridized with other energy-harvesting devices
like electromagnetic generators, solar PV systems, turbines, and energy storage
units to increase the overall power conversion efficiency. The problem of higher
temperature management in concentrated photovoltaic can be addressed by using
pyroelectric nanogenerators. In the past decade, research and real-life applications
of nanogenerators have grown exponentially; this shows that in the future, this
technology could be widely commercialized.

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