Triboelectric Nanogenerators as a Self-Powered 3D Acceleration Sensor

A novel self-powered acceleration sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator is proposed, which consists of an outer transparent shell and an inner mass-spring-damper mechanical system. The PTFE films on the mass surfaces can slide between two aluminum electrodes on an inner wall owing to the acceleration in the axis direction. On the basis of the coupling of triboelectric and electrostatic effects, the potential difference between the two aluminum electrodes is generated in proportion to the mass displacement, which can be used to characterize the acceleration in the axis direction with a detection range from about 13.0 to 40.0 m/s2 at a sensitivity of 0.289 V·s2/m. With the integration of acceleration sensors in three axes, a self-powered 3D acceleration sensor is developed for vector acceleration measurement in any direction. The self-powered 3D acceleration sensor has excellent performance in the stability test, and the output voltages have a little decrease of ∼6% after 4000 cycles. Moreover, the self-powered acceleration sensor can be used to measure high collision acceleration, which has potential practicability in automobile security systems.