Author: Yunzhong Wang
Wang, Yunzhong, 2025 Exploration of novel triboelectric nanogenerator systems for coastal region applications, Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering
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The demand for electricity is rapidly increasing today. At the same time, the need for non-carbon-emission energy sources is growing due to increasingly stringent environmental regulations and global carbon-neutral strategies. Ocean energy has increasingly gained attention, as it shows strong potential to serve as a sustainable energy source that is less affected by environmental fluctuations. However, ocean wave energy in coastal regions has long been overlooked due to the lack of efficient harvesters capable of capturing low-frequency and low-amplitude wave motion. Notably, wave energy near coastlines has the potential to provide approximately 2–3 TWh, making it a resource worth exploring. In 2012, Zhong Lin Wang introduced a groundbreaking technology known as the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Thanks to its unique energy generation mechanism, TENG demonstrates exceptional performance in harvesting low-frequency and low-amplitude energy, making it particularly well-suited to capturing energy from ocean waves.
Since their introduction in 2012, TENGs have made significant progress in harvesting electrical energy from ocean wave motion. However, several challenges remain. The effects of external factors, such as wave frequency and amplitude, still require in-depth study, and the lack of suitable water wave testing platforms limits understanding of device dynamics under realistic ocean conditions. These limitations also restrict the further development and practical application of ocean wave driven TENGs. A major limitation of TENGs is their low output current at milli- or micro-levels, which restricts TENG been widely used. Hybrid-mode TENG combining TENGs and electromagnetic harvesters (EMH) shows potential to overcome low current output at low frequencies and amplitudes. Current radar-based sensors also struggle to monitor wave variations in coastal conditions which is the primary environment for TENG operation. Since TENGs can function as self-powered sensors for subtle environmental motions, they offer a promising alternative. Additionally, with the rise of offshore wind farms, TENGs are increasingly explored for structural health monitoring and damage detection in wind turbines.
In this study, several TENG-based systems and devices have been successfully developed to address the limitations. A contact and separation mode TENG was used to investigate the effects of wave parameters, such as wave amplitude and wave frequency, on its output performance. An affordable wave generation system has been proposed to evaluate TENG performance in a cost-effective manner. A hybrid-mode TENG has been developed to enable monitoring of ocean wave parameter variations in coastal environments. An active impact detection system has been established to enable real-time monitoring of impacts on offshore wind turbines. In summary, this thesis has extensively explored TENG-based devices for coastal region applications, including both ocean wave energy generators and self-powered sensors for monitoring ocean wave parameters and environmental operating conditions. The results of this study make a significant contribution to the field of ocean wave energy harvesting.
Keywords: Ocean wave energy; Triboelectric nanogenerator; Self-powered sensor; Wind turbine sensor; Wind turbine vibration monitoring; Water wave generation system.
Subject: Engineering thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2025
School: College of Science and Engineering
Supervisor: Youhong Tang