title: All-Elastomer-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator as a Keyboard Cover To Harvest Typing Energy.
abstract: The drastic expansion of consumer electronics (like personal computers, touch pads, smart phones, etc.) creates many human-machine interfaces and multiple types of interactions between human and electronics. Considering the high frequency of such operations in our daily life, an extraordinary amount of biomechanical energy from typing or pressing buttons is available. In this study, we have demonstrated a highly flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) solely made from elastomeric materials as a cover on a conventional keyboard to harvest biomechanical energy from typing. A dual-mode working mechanism is established with a high transferred charge density of ∼140 μC/m(2) due to both structural and material innovations. We have also carried out fundamental investigations of its performance dependence on various structural factors for optimizing the electric output in practice. The fully packaged keyboard-shaped TENG is further integrated with a horn-like polypyrrole-based supercapacitor as a self-powered system. Typing in normal speed for 1 h, ∼8 × 10(-4) J electricity could be stored, which is capable of driving an electronic thermometer/hydrometer. Our keyboard cover also performs outstanding long-term stability, water resistance, as well as insensitivity to surface conditions, and the last feature makes it useful to research the typing behaviors of different people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Shengming
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Wenbo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Gong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.|Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Zhong Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: biomechanical energy harvesting; elastomeric materials; high flexibility; keyboard cover; triboelectric nanogenerator