Date of Award

Summer 2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Program/Concentration

Mechanical Engineering

Committee Director

Xiaoyu Zhang

Committee Member

Shizhi Qian

Committee Member

ArthurTaylor

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E56 Y39 2015

Abstract

In this thesis, a novel concept, a triboelectric solar generator (TSG ), is proposed for generation of high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity from solar radiation. An experimental investigation was conducted to prove the concepts of charge generation through the triboelectric effect and charge transmission using semiconductors. The triboelectric effect, also known as the contact electrification, is a well-known physical phenomenon that electrostatic charges are generated by rubbing dissimilar materials. However, traditional triboelectric generators had never been commercialized due to their poor power output. Physically, it is due to the difficulty of charge transmission from insulators, which generate charges. The proposed TSG is able to overcome the shortcomes of traditional triboelectric generators and efficiently transmit charges using semiconductors. In the concept, a TSG generates charges through rubbing a steam/water jet on semiconductors, and transmit those charges using p-n jucntion diodes.

The research was carried out via a modified Faraday's experimental apparatus on his steam electricity experiments. Steam/water jets with an average felow rate of 0.3gr/s are injected onto cones (2.5 in diameter and 3in length) coated by various materials, including electrical tape, epoxy, silicone glue, PDMS, and titanium dioxide. Two sets of experiments are conducted to prove the concept. The first set of experiments were performed to replicate Faraday's steam electricity experiments as well as evaluating the functionality of the test apparatus. The second set of experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of n-type semiconductors on the triboelectric charge generation with incident lights.

The first set of the experiment demonstrated that all the materials were rendered negative charges, which was exactly the same conclusion drawn by Faraday. The second set of experiments demonstrated that semiconductors have significant effects on the charge generation. Future research will focus on the effect of semiconductors on the charge transmission.

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DOI

10.25777/e221-8c64

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