J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2025, Vol. 214: 153-169.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2024.07.013

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Advances in liquid-solid triboelectric nanogenerators and its applications

Tengfei Xianga,b,1, Xuxin Chenb,1, Hui Sunc, Di Liub, Yawei Jiangd, Shaoqiang Chend, Yannan Xied,*, Shihong Zhanga,*   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials (Anhui University of Technology), Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China;
    bSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China;
    cSchool of Space Science and Physics, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China;
    dState Key Laboratory of Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
  • Received:2024-03-20 Revised:2024-06-01 Accepted:2024-07-08 Published:2025-04-10 Online:2025-04-05
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: huisun@sdu.edu.cn (H. Sun), iamynxie@njupt.edu.cn (Y. Xie), shzhang@ahut.edu.cn (S. Zhang)
  • About author:1 These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: The significance of water energy harvesting in the context of renewable energy utilization is steadily increasing. In response to the need for more efficient utilization of water resources, the nascent technology of liquid-solid triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has emerged as a prospective candidate for the harvesting of water energy. Liquid-solid TENGs show several distinct advantages, including their lightweight, low cost, and efficient energy harvesting capabilities. Herein, this review presents a comprehensive exposition of the latest advancements in the field of liquid-solid TENGs. It delves into the underlying principles and different operational modes while also addressing the factors influencing its output performance from a multifaceted perspective. The factors comprise the intrinsic properties of friction materials, the chemical properties of the liquid, and the ambient temperature of liquid-solid TENGs. Furthermore, this review delineates the applications of liquid-solid TENGs as self-powered sensors in physics, chemistry, and biomedical contexts, as well as their applications in various other fields such as corrosion resistance, and so on. Last but not least, it concludes by providing a forward-looking on the future developmental trends of liquid-solid TENGs.

Key words: Triboelectric nanogenerators, Liquid-solid interface, Energy harvesting, Self-powered