THE SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Under the provisions of the regulations for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

on Thursday, April 25, 2019

12:00 PM

in IPST/RBI 114

will be held the

DISSERTATION DEFENSE

for

Changsheng Wu

"High Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Its Applications"

Committee Members:

Prof. Zhong Lin Wang, Advisor, MSE

Prof. Meilin Liu, MSE

Prof. David L. McDowell , MSE

Prof. C. P. Wong, MSE

Prof. Younan Xia, BME

Abstract:

As the world is marching into the era of the internet of things (IoTs) and artificial intelligence, the most vital development for hardware is a multifunctional array of sensing systems, which forms the foundation of the fourth industrial revolution toward an intelligent world. Given the need for mobility of these multitudes of sensors, the success of the IoTs calls for distributed energy sources, which can be provided by solar, thermal, wind, and mechanical triggering/vibrations. The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for mechanical energy harvesting developed by Z.L. Wang's group is one of the best choices for this energy for the new era, since triboelectrification is a universal and ubiquitous effect with an abundant choice of materials. The development of self-powered active sensors enabled by TENGs is revolutionary compared to externally powered passive sensors, similar to the advance from wired to wireless communication.

In this work, fundamental performance-limiting factors of TENG were studied and various strategies, such as the optimization of materials, structures and operation environment, were investigated to enhance its electrical outputs. Furthermore, the application of TENG in three major fields, including micro/nano power sources, self-powered sensors, and direct high-voltage power sources, was explored. Self-powered electrically-assisted transdermal drug delivery driven by biomechanical motions was demonstrated for non-invasive, on-demand drug administration with feedback control. Self-powered wireless optical transmission of mechanical agitation signals was proposed to solve the issue of power supply for optical wireless communications. Smart keyboard with active pressure sensing was developed for keystroke dynamics-based cyber security. The high voltage of TENG was successfully applied to drive field emission of electrons and electrohydrodynamic jet printing, with unique merits of low cost, enhanced safety and portability. With solid understanding of both the fundamentals and applications, a roadmap is proposed for the research and commercialization of TENG in the next 10 years. This work not only provides insights and solutions for developing high performance TENG, but also broadens its application in a variety of multidisciplinary fields that have huge impact on people’s daily life in the era of internet of things.