Continuously harvesting energy from water and wind by pulsed triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered seawater electrolysis

Due to deterioration of the environment and energy crises, exploring clean and renewable energy from ambient surroundings has become one of the most urgent concerns in our society. Herein, we report a pulsed cylindrical triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles. The as-designed TENG can harvest low-frequency mechanical energies from wind and water and convert them into electricity at low cost and high efficiency, which can not only lighten 475 green LED lamps in series, but also can be suitable for driving seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production. The constructed TENG based on the Maxwell’s displacement current provides a model for further development of self-powered seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production. Graphical Abstract [Display omitted] •P-TENG was designed by a facile and feasible approach, which can efficiently collect wind energy and water energy.•The high electrical outputs can be generated by P-TENG under the drive of water or wind energy.•The applications of P-TENG in energy harvesting and self-powered seawater electrolysis were demonstrated.