Miura-origami-inspired electret/triboelectric power generator for wearable energy harvesting with water-proof capability

One of the critical issues for electret/triboelectric devices is the poor charge viability and stability in humid environments. Herein, we propose a new origami-inspired “W-tube”-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (W-TENG) with two thin-film electrets folded based on Miura-origami. The Miura-origami fold is capable of transforming flat materials with large surface areas into reduced and compressed complex 3D structures with parallelogram tessellations. The triboelectric power generation components can thus be hermetically sealed inside the “W-tube” to avoid contact with the external humid environment. Furthermore, the elastic nature of the Miura-origami fold endows the proposed W-TENG device with excellent deformability, flexibility, and stretchability. Therefore, it is capable of harvesting kinetic energy from various directions and forms of movement, including horizontal pressing, vertical tapping, and lateral bending. The compact, light weight, and self-rebounding properties of the origami structure also make it convenient for integration into wearable devices. Various parameters of the W-TENG are intensively investigated, including the number of power generation units, original height of the device, acceleration magnitude, excitation direction, and water-proof capability. Triggered by hand tapping impulse excitation in the horizontal and vertical directions, the instantaneous open-circuit voltages can reach 791 V and 116 V with remarkable optimum powers of 691 μW at 50 MΩ and 220 μW at 35 MΩ, respectively. The outcomes of this work demonstrate the fusion of the ancient art of origami, material science, and energy conversion techniques to realize flexible, multifunctional, and water-proof TENG devices. Researchers have used techniques from origami to engineer a flexible, resilient, water-proof power generator, which can be used with wearable devices. The device, designed by a team led by Kai Tao of China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University, consists of two thin films of dielectric material, which can generate power when deformed. This structure is then folded in a Miura fold, a pattern which compresses a large surface area into a smaller area. The resulting spring-like makes the device return to its original shape after deformation while also offering compactness and flexibility together. The device generated power when tapped or bent, and the origami structure hermetically sealed the components, making the generator water-proof. With this combination of origami and material science, researchers can design and build flexible energy-harvesting devices to power wearable devices or other flexible electronics.