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Abstract
Triboelectric energy harvester (TEH) is an emerging technology that has been recently demonstrated to harvest mechanical energy. The TEH can be fabricated in various configurations due to their flexibility in nature and therefore have a wide number of applications. In this paper, a simplified model of vertical contact mode triboelectric energy harvester has been presented. Commercial Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and thin copper film have been considered for the generation of tribocharge. The effects of various design parameters and the load resistance on the harvested power are investigated under a periodic harmonic motion. Numerical results predicted that harvested power depends upon surface area, relative permittivity, surface charge density and dielectric thickness of triboelectric material, the frequency of contact, distance between the electrodes and load resistance. Finally, the optimization of design parameters using genetic algorithms is studied in order to provide sufficient guidance for the rational development of TEH. Simulated results predicted that triboelectric harvesters can generate a significant amount of energy that can operate small electronics like cell phones, robots, navigation systems, motion, and biological sensors.