A Pedagogical Approach to Assemble and Characterize Paper-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Since 2012, when triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) were first reported by Wang and co-workers, various applications have taken advantage of their ability to transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. TENG applications cover many fields, including electronics, physics, materials science, and engineering. The differences in the language used in various research fields makes understanding TENG concepts rather challenging for those outside of the domain. This article provides a practical introduction to triboelectric nanogenerators by applying an inquiry-based learning (IBL) strategy to the assembly and characterization of easily customizable paper-based TENGs. This will allow junior researchers from different fields of materials chemistry to become familiar with the terminology and basic concepts of TENGs, experimentally validate the triboelectric properties of different materials, and construct their first electromechanical sensors and micropower generators.