Abstract <p>Column-type triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are attractive, maintenance-free power sources for distributed Internet-of-Things (IoT) nodes, wearable and implantable biomedical devices, and marine sensing platforms, but their deployment is hindered by the lack of quantitatively grounded design rules linking fluid loading, structural dynamics, and electrical output. This work develops and validates an integrated fluid–structure–electrical framework for application-driven design of flexible column-type, contact–separation TENGs operating under wind-induced excitation. A 20 cm-long cantilevered column is modeled using an Euler–Bernoulli beam with axial tension, leading to a force balance that accounts for inertial, tensile, and bending contributions and is recast in terms of three key dimensionless parameters: mass ratio <i>M</i>, dimensionless axial stiffness <InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$K_{s,\textrm{dimless}}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>K</mi> <mrow> <mi>s</mi> <mo>,</mo> <mtext>dimless</mtext> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, and dimensionless bending rigidity <InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$K_{b,\textrm{dimless}}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <msub> <mi>K</mi> <mrow> <mi>b</mi> <mo>,</mo> <mtext>dimless</mtext> </mrow> </msub> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>. The structural dynamics are coupled to the surrounding airflow via an immersed boundary (IB) method with a Gaussian smoothing kernel, enabling prediction of wind-dependent deflection, mode-shape evolution, and flapping dynamics, including out-of-phase motion in multi-column arrays. A practical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/nylon triboelectric bilayer with copper electrodes is integrated on the column surface, and the resulting electromechanical response is characterized: the root-mean-square (RMS) voltage increases strongly with wind speed, and the harvested power exhibits a clear maximum near a load resistance of <InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$0K\Omega$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mn>0</mn> <mi>K</mi> <mi mathvariant="normal">Ω</mi> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> to <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$500K\Omega$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mn>500</mn> <mi>K</mi> <mi mathvariant="normal">Ω</mi> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, and the power gain with wind speed is super-linear over the 4–12 m/s range. Spatiotemporal maps of the electric potential reveals localized hot spots that migrate along the column as wind speed varies, and together with system-level performance surfaces, identify an efficient operating regime between approximately 8 and 12 m/s. The framework yields concrete, application-oriented design guidelines that connect material stiffness, geometry, and environmental conditions to electrical performance, advancing column-type TENGs toward robust self-powered sensing and environmental harvesting in IoT, biomedical, and marine deployments.</p>

Fluid–structure–triboelectric coupling in flexible column-type nanogenerators for environmental wind energy harvesting and self-powered sensing

期刊论文
发表日期：

2026年5月28日

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Hichem Fatmi,
Raouf Zerrougui,
Mounir Meddad,
Debiche Amirouche,
Samira Boussada,
Hadja Yakoubi,
Lynda Khramsia,
Abdallah Benredouane,
Mohamed Nadir Amzali,
Kardi El Amri,
Yacine Boussaadia

摘要

Abstract

Column-type triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are attractive, maintenance-free power sources for distributed Internet-of-Things (IoT) nodes, wearable and implantable biomedical devices, and marine sensing platforms, but their deployment is hindered by the lack of quantitatively grounded design rules linking fluid loading, structural dynamics, and electrical output. This work develops and validates an integrated fluid–structure–electrical framework for application-driven design of flexible column-type, contact–separation TENGs operating under wind-induced excitation. A 20 cm-long cantilevered column is modeled using an Euler–Bernoulli beam with axial tension, leading to a force balance that accounts for inertial, tensile, and bending contributions and is recast in terms of three key dimensionless parameters: mass ratio M, dimensionless axial stiffness $K_{s,\textrm{dimless}}$ $K_{s, dimless}$ , and dimensionless bending rigidity $K_{b,\textrm{dimless}}$ $K_{b, dimless}$ . The structural dynamics are coupled to the surrounding airflow via an immersed boundary (IB) method with a Gaussian smoothing kernel, enabling prediction of wind-dependent deflection, mode-shape evolution, and flapping dynamics, including out-of-phase motion in multi-column arrays. A practical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/nylon triboelectric bilayer with copper electrodes is integrated on the column surface, and the resulting electromechanical response is characterized: the root-mean-square (RMS) voltage increases strongly with wind speed, and the harvested power exhibits a clear maximum near a load resistance of $0K\Omega$ $0 K Ω$ to $500K\Omega$ $500 K Ω$ , and the power gain with wind speed is super-linear over the 4–12 m/s range. Spatiotemporal maps of the electric potential reveals localized hot spots that migrate along the column as wind speed varies, and together with system-level performance surfaces, identify an efficient operating regime between approximately 8 and 12 m/s. The framework yields concrete, application-oriented design guidelines that connect material stiffness, geometry, and environmental conditions to electrical performance, advancing column-type TENGs toward robust self-powered sensing and environmental harvesting in IoT, biomedical, and marine deployments.