11/17/2021
By Tingshu Hu

You are invited to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by William Harmon, Ph.D. candidate of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Title: A Power Management System for Triboelectric Nanogenerators
Ph.D. Candidate: William Harmon
Time: Friday, Dec. 3, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact committee advisor tingshu_hu@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee members:

  • Tingshu Hu, Advisor, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., UMass Lowell
  • Siavash Pakdelian, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., UMass Lowell
  • Man Hoi Wong, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., UMass Lowell
  • Yuzhang Lin, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept., UMass Lowell

Abstract: Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are electrostatic devices which generate electric potential energy from mechanical motion. TENG enable energy harvesting from repetitive mechanical motion, such as human or animal motion, wind or water related movements, or vehicular transportation shock and vibration. The alternating current, narrow pulse, high voltage output and inherently high series output impedance of TENG devices makes them difficult to interface with conventional low voltage direct current electronic devices or batteries. Additionally, the low energy output of TENG is insufficient to support conventional power electronics conversion methods without the use of auxiliary power sources, which would defeat the purpose of energy harvesting.

A novel passive solid state power management system is proposed which has been theoretically described, simulated, and prototyped for demonstration. Measured results from the prototype prove that the circuit enables practical energy harvesting from TENG devices, converting the pulsed high voltage output of the TENG to a low voltage, direct current form suitable for low power electronics and battery charging. The power management system responds passively to the TENG output, requiring no auxiliary power sources, and employs semiconductor switches for high reliability. Additionally, this power management system has potential for immediate and widespread practical use as it has a simple, low-cost, and lightweight construction consisting of commonly available electronic components.