Simple tape construction: you generate electricity with two household items
How electricity generation works with this adhesive tape generator has been tested by scientists with different versions of this nanogenerator, including adhesive tape with PET/aluminum foil on both sides. The necessary movement was provided by a simple spring construction, which brought the sheet and the adhesive tape on one side and the second sheet on the other side into contact and separated again and again by pressure. In a second version, the sheets were attached on one side, so that even a stronger jolt caused sticking and loosening.
The result: the simple nanogenerator generated 21 milliwatts of power, the power density reached 169.6 watts per square meter, as the scientists report. This is 47% more than previously measured with comparable triboelectric nanogenerators. In the test, an area of adhesive tape measuring 38 x 25 millimeters was sufficient to supply 476 LEDs with electricity at the same time. The current was also sufficient for a laser diode.
Another positive: the simple construction of the adhesive tape proved to be incredibly durable: even after 40,000 cycles of contact and separation, the performance of the nanogenerator decreased only slightly. “Power stays in the 19 to 24 milliwatt range for up to 100,000 cycles,” the team reports. According to her, these simple and inexpensive nanogenerators are therefore well suited, for example, to drive sensors, LEDs or other small electronic devices.
