Liquid Jet‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Abstract Although the solid–liquid triboelectric nanogenerators have made great progress in energy harvesting, their efficiency is fundamentally limited by the continuous shielding effect of the solid–liquid electric double layer (EDL). Herein, a liquid‐jet triboelectric nanogenerator that exploits Plateau‐Rayleigh instability (PR‐TENG) is demonstrated to overcome this barrier. PR‐TENG converts low‐frequency water flow into high‐frequency droplets, avoiding shielding effects from continuous flow and achieving a contact‐separation frequency of ≈50 Hz. At a flow rate of 320 mL min −1 , the PR‐TENG generates an output current of over 100 µA, ≈120 times the magnitude of conventional single‐electrode droplet TENGs (D‐TENGs) that rely on electrostatic induction. The operational mechanism of PR‐TENG arises from droplet‐fusion‐induced triboelectrification, surface charge trapping, and charge redistribution, enabling energy harvesting from continuous water flow and water‐level monitoring applications. This work significantly improves the electrical output performance of flow‐based triboelectric nanogenerators and provides an effective solution for continuous flow‐based energy harvesting.