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Vol. 17 (2025)

Pulse-Charging Energy Storage for Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Frequency Modulation

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01714-3
Kwon‑Hyung Lee
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Min‑Gyun Kim
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Woosuk Kang
Department of Battery Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Hyun‑Moon Park
Research and Development Center, Energy-Mining LTD, Suwon 16226, Republic of Korea
Youngmin Cho
Research and Development Center, Energy-Mining LTD, Suwon 16226, Republic of Korea
Jeongsoo Hong
Department of Chemical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Tae‑Hee Kim
Ulsan Advanced Energy Technology R&D Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Ulsan 44776, Republic of Korea
Seung‑Hyeok Kim
Department of Battery and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA, Gyeonggi 15588, Repubilc of Korea
Seok‑Kyu Cho
UBATT Inc, Daejeon 34036, Republic of Korea
Donghyeon Kang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Sang‑Woo Kim
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Changshin Jo
Department of Battery Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
Sang‑Young Lee
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author: Changshin Jo

jochangshin@postech.ac.kr

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 210

Abstract

Energy harvesting storage hybrid devices have garnered considerable attention as self-rechargeable power sources for wireless and ubiquitous electronics. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), a common type of energy harvester, generate alternating current-based, irregular short pulses, posing a challenge for storing the generated electrical energy in energy storage systems that typically operate with direct current (DC)-based low-frequency response. In this study, we propose a new strategy that leverages high-frequency response to develop efficient chargeable TENG–supercapacitor (SC) hybrid devices. A high-frequency SC was fabricated using hollow-structured MXene electrode materials, resulting in a twofold increase in the charging efficiency of the hybrid device compared to a control SC made with conventional carbon electrode materials. For a systematic understanding, the electrochemical interplay between the TENGs and SCs was investigated as a function of the frequency characteristics of SCs (fSC) and the output pulse duration of TENGs (ΔtTENG). Increasing the fSC·ΔtTENG enhanced the charging efficiency of the TENG–SC hybrid devices. This study highlights the importance of frequency response design in developing efficient chargeable TENG–SC hybrid devices.


Highlights:
1 A system-level strategy is presented to achieve high charging efficiency in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-supercapacitor (SC) hybrid devices, with a focus on frequency response design.
2 This study reveals that the high-frequency characteristics of SCs and the prolonged output pulse duration of TENGs are critical for achieving high charging efficiency.
3 A three-dimensional hollow-structured MXene is synthesized as a high-frequency SC electrode material, demonstrating a twofold increase in charging efficiency compared to conventional SCs.

Keywords

Energy harvesting storage hybrids Triboelectric nanogenerators Supercapacitors Frequency response MXene
Lee, Kwon‑Hyung, Min‑Gyun Kim, Woosuk Kang, Hyun‑Moon Park, Youngmin Cho, Jeongsoo Hong, Tae‑Hee Kim, Seung‑Hyeok Kim, Seok‑Kyu Cho, Donghyeon Kang, Sang‑Woo Kim, Changshin Jo, and Sang‑Young Lee. 2025. “Pulse-Charging Energy Storage for Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Frequency Modulation”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (April):210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01714-3.
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