As an efficient power technology, a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has made a huge impact on many research fields and exhibits exciting prospects in the future world. There are two output modes of the TENG, the alternating current (AC) mode based on the coupling of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, and the direct current (DC) mode based on the coupling of triboelectrification and air-breakdown. AC can be converted into DC by rectification. However, from the symmetry argument, there should be an inverting mode to convert the DC into AC. Herein, an inverting TENG to realize the AC mode based on the coupling of triboelectrification and air-breakdown is proposed for the first time by setting alternating polarity distribution areas. Different from the fixed waveforms of a traditional AC-TENG, the inverting TENG exhibits such unique characteristics that both the width ratio and amplitude ratio of AC signals can be changed by tuning the distributed width and electronegativity difference of two opposite materials. This work paves the way for the development of a symmetry output mechanism for the TENG, from AC to DC, and from DC to AC, or even hybrid DC and AC in one TENG, and these powerful functions endow the inverting TENG with more advantages for future self-powered intelligent systems.

中文翻译：

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基于摩擦起电和空气击穿耦合实现交流模式的逆变TENG

作为一种高效的动力技术，摩擦纳米发电机（TENG）对许多研究领域产生了巨大的影响，并在未来世界展现出令人兴奋的前景。TENG有两种输出模式，基于摩擦起电和静电感应耦合的交流（AC）模式和基于摩擦起电和空气击穿耦合的直流（DC）模式。交流电可以通过整流转换为直流电。但是，从对称性的角度来看，应该有一种反相模式将直流电转换为交流电。在此，通过设置交替极性分布区域，首次提出了一种基于摩擦起电和空气击穿耦合的反相 TENG 来实现交流模式。与传统 AC-TENG 的固定波形不同，反相 TENG 具有独特的特性，可以通过调节两种相反材料的分布宽度和电负性差异来改变交流信号的宽度比和幅度比。这项工作为TENG的对称输出机制的发展铺平了道路，从AC到DC，从DC到AC，甚至在一个TENG中混合DC和AC，这些强大的功能赋予了逆变TENG更多优势未来的自供电智能系统。