Fossil fuels produce most of the world’s energy. They have a high energy density, but they release greenhouse gases and are a limited resource. Renewable energy is a relatively new concept that produces low to zero emissions and consists of a variety of methods such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy. While the ocean is a very large resource, there is limited research in harvesting energy from it. This research develops and tests a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) using rotational motion at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The concept follows previous experiments at NPS with friction between PTFE and copper. The cost and production are reduced by using copper foil tape and PTFE tape and 3D printing the TENG components. The TENG consists of three parts: a top half shell containing half of the copper electrodes, a bottom half containing the other half of the copper electrodes, and an inner rod with PTFE tape. The inner rod is connected to a DC motor and run at various speeds to determine the most effective output voltage and current.

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http://archive.org/details/triboelectricnan1094564912

Lieutenant, United States Navy