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Electromagnetism

Breakthrough in Engineering: Development of Bionic Triboelectric-Electromagnetic Hybrid Generator

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers from Jilin University have made a significant contribution to the field of engineering by developing a bionic triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator (ME-TEHG) driven by wind-water energy. This innovative device addresses the variations in river flow velocities and adaptabilities of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) and electromagnetic generators (EMGs) to these flow velocities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ME-TEHG was developed to incorporate bionic components and a fluid acceleration mechanism to lower the required starting flow velocity.
  • Compared to a traditional turbine, the ME-TEHG achieved a lower starting flow velocity of 0.15 m s-1, demonstrating a reduction of 37.5%.
  • The ME-TEHG demonstrated multi-mode switching between its TENG and EMG components and incorporated a wind-water differential structure to optimize performance at different flow velocities.
  • At a flow velocity of 0.5 m s-1, the ME-TEHG achieved a peak power of 3.63 mW, while at a flow velocity of 0.7 m s-1 and a wind speed of 8 m s-1, the peak power reached 40.01 mW.
  • The research concluded that the ME-TEHG could produce up to 13.1 times more power in no windless environment and up to 49.5 times more power at higher wind speed, demonstrating outstanding power generation performance.
  • The research was supported by the Jilin Provincial Natural Science Foundation and the Jilin University Cross Disciplinary Cultivation Program for Young Faculty and Students.
  • The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Yongming Yao from Jilin University, in collaboration with Chenxi Li, Kuankuan Wang, Yixin Liu, Fuhai Zhao, Ming Li, Jianwei Cui, Yutong Wang, and Tianyu Li.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 521, in 2025.

Statistics:

  • The ME-TEHG achieved a 37.5% reduction in starting flow velocity compared to a traditional turbine.
  • The ME-TEHG demonstrated a peak power of 40.01 mW at a flow velocity of 0.7 m s-1 and a wind speed of 8 m s-1.
  • The research showed that the ME-TEHG could produce up to 13.1 times more power in no windless environment and up to 49.5 times more power at higher wind speed.
  • The study was supported by the Jilin Provincial Natural Science Foundation and the Jilin University Cross Disciplinary Cultivation Program for Young Faculty and Students.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. New Engineering Findings from Jilin University Reported (Multi-mode Switching Bionic Triboelectric-electromagnetic Hybrid Generator With Enhanced Broadband Power Generation Performance In River Environments). Journal of Engineering. October 20, 2025; p 1695.
  • Multi-mode Switching Bionic Triboelectric-electromagnetic Hybrid Generator With Enhanced Broadband Power Generation Performance In River Environments. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025;521.

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