title: Self-Powered Random Number Generator Based on Coupled Triboelectric and Electrostatic Induction Effects at the Liquid-Dielectric Interface.
abstract: Modern cryptography increasingly employs random numbers generated from physical sources in lieu of conventional software-based pseudorandom numbers, primarily owing to the great demand of unpredictable, indecipherable cryptographic keys from true random numbers for information security. Thus, far, the sole demonstration of true random numbers has been generated through thermal noise and/or quantum effects, which suffers from expensive and complex equipment. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for self-powered creation of true random numbers by using triboelectric technology to collect random signals from nature. This random number generator based on coupled triboelectric and electrostatic induction effects at the liquid-dielectric interface includes an elaborately designed triboelectric generator (TENG) with an irregular grating structure, an electronic-optical device, and an optical-electronic device. The random characteristics of raindrops are harvested through TENG and consequently transformed and converted by electronic-optical device and an optical-electronic device with a nonlinear characteristic. The cooperation of the mechanical, electrical, and optical signals ensures that the generator possesses complex nonlinear input-output behavior and contributes to increased randomness. The random number sequences are deduced from final electrical signals received by an optical-electronic device using a familiar algorithm. These obtained random number sequences exhibit good statistical characteristics, unpredictability, and unrepeatability. Our study supplies a simple, practical, and effective method to generate true random numbers, which can be widely used in cryptographic protocols, digital signatures, authentication, identification, and other information security fields.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Aifang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Xiangyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Information Engineering, Northwest A&F University , Yangling 712100, China.
authors.forename: Haotian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Mingzeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Junyi
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8900-4638
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100083, China.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States.
authors.forename: Zhong Lin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5530-0380
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: random number generator; self-powered; triboelectric nanogenerator; true random numbers