Figure-of-Merits for Quantifying Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Four basic working modes of triboelectric nanogenerator have been demonstrated, each of which has different designs to accommodate the corresponding mechanical triggering conditions. A common standard is thus required to quantify the performance of the triboelectric nanogenerators so that their outputs can be compared and evaluated. In this chapter, figure-of-merits for defining the performance of a triboelectric nanogenerator has been developed, which is composed of a structural figure-of-merit related to the structure and a material figure of merit that is the square of the surface charge density. The structural figure-of-merit is derived and simulated to compare the triboelectric nanogenerators with different configurations. A standard method is introduced to quantify the material figure-of-merit for a general surface. This will establish the standards for developing TENGs towards practical applications and industrialization.