| Abstract: | With the advantages of its light weight, low cost, and high efficiency especially at low operation frequency, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is considered to be a potential solution for self‐powered sensor networks and large‐scale renewable blue energy. However, the conventional TENG converts mechanical energy into electrical energy only via either electrostatic induction or electrostatic breakdown. Here, a novel dual‐mode TENG is presented, which can simultaneously harvest mechanical energy by electrostatic induction and dielectric breakdown in a single device. Based on the complementary working mechanism, it achieves a great improvement in the output performance with the sum of two TENGs via a single mechanism and reveals the effect of dielectric layer thickness on the triboelectrification, electrostatic induction, and air breakdown. This study establishes a new methodology to optimize TENGs and provides a new tool to investigate the triboelectrification, electrostatic induction and dielectric breakdown simultaneously. |
