Congratulations to CDT alumni Dr Kavya Sreeja Sadanandan whose work ‘Fabric-based triboelectric nanogenerators with ultrasonic spray coated graphene electrodes’ has been published in Nano Energy. In this work, Kavya and colleagues report on the effectiveness of a new triboelectric nanogenerator (devices that convert mechanical energy into an electric current) design which could be used in wearable electronics. The CDT connection to the paper extends beyond Kavya with co-authors including fellow CDT alumni Dr Conor Murphy and current PGR Ineta Grikalaite.
Kavya summarises the importance of the work here:
This paper provides a systematic study of a novel wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) using graphene electrodes. These devices are capable of converting human motions to electricity, suiting wearable applications. They consist of ultrasonic spray-coated graphene as electrodes providing a scalable and cost-effective method of production. TENG device fabricated this way was able to produce an output of up to 400 V and 7 μA at just 1 Hz contact-separation frequency, resulting in an optimal power density of 0.3 W/m². Furthermore, they showcased high stability under extreme humidity and mechanical deformation, while demonstrating excellent durability. Their potential towards pressure sensing is also explored in this paper.
