Prof. YANG Yong, together with his team and collaborators, successfully employed metallic glass (MG) as the triboelectric interface for the design of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Compared with traditional solid/solid-interface TENGs, the MG-based TENG exhibits higher triboelectrification efficiency with excellent humidity- and wear-resistance. Under different gas pressures, the MG-based TENG approached the theoretical limit of charge generation, exceeding that of a Cu- based TENG by 35.2%. Additionally, the MG-based TENG achieved a peak power-density of 15 MW·m-2.

TENGs are an increasingly popular type of energy harvester. However, the surface wear is a major hindrance in the solid/solid interface of TENG, severely affecting their output performance, stability and working life, thereby limiting their productization and industrial development. Moreover, the output performance of TENGs based on solid/solid interfaces is easily affected by environmental factors, preventing their application in extreme conditions.

To solve these problems, we applied metallic glass (MG) as triboelectric interface of TENG. Compared with other interfaces such as copper, MGs were found to have a lower wear and friction coefficient. Due to the low atomic density and disorders atomic structure, metallic glass interface can improve the surface charge density, thus enhance the triboelectric efficiency of the TENG.